A few days before Arizona Senate Bill 1070 was signed into law, James Garcia dropped his cell phone while driving home from work late at night. When he pulled over to retrieve it, he saw flashing lights in his rear-view mirror.

When an officer wearing a brown uniform knocked on his passenger window, “my impulse was to think, ‘I’m going to be harassed,’” said Garcia, founder and producing artistic director of Phoenix-based New Carpa Theater Co.

As it turns out, the officer wasn’t part of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s posse, but an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer asking if Garcia needed any help.

While he wasn’t harassed or profiled as he feared, Garcia said it’s wrong that he feels this way because of the anti-immigrant climate in Arizona.

The state’s new immigration law “essentially sends the message to the Latino community that you are not welcome in the country you were born in and live in and contribute to,” he said. “That’s great harm to who we are as a people in regard to our ability to live and work and prosper.”

While reading about the events described in the article Driving While Hispanic, I couldn’t help but ask myself, “Where is Jesus new commandment in all this?”

“My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

I have a request for Jesus: Please hurry back.

I hope you can have just a small understanding of what a strain this puts on us. I hope you can understand and forgive me for the anger I feel as the health care debate continues in Congress. I hope you can forgive me when I want to stand up and shout across both sides of the aisle imploring my fellow Americans to get over their partisan ego and help people like me. The people who pay their salary to represent my best interest. The best interest of the people who have suddenly found themselves on the wrong side of the economic downturn.

My best interest is affordable health care so my kids can go to the dentist when they need to. Affordable health care the enables my my wife to visit the doctor when she needs to. A plan under which I don’t have to put off seeking treatment because I don’t have the money to cover the high deductibles.

To all of you who say we don’t need reform, I invite you to sit on the sofa in my living room and discuss it with me. Don’t mind the holes in the fabric. I can’t afford a new sofa because I have to cover my prescription medication costs.

Forget the politics. Remember those who need help. Remember those of us who for many years have contributed countless billions to the system.

Please… let “me” go so you can help ME.

TRUTH #1: The poverty line touches more people than you realize.

It’s not just those “other” people struggling to feed their family and keep a roof over their head. Once comfortable lives now know desperation and the fear of poverty. People in YOUR neighborhood.

MISCONCEPTION #2: Catholic Charities only helps Catholics

TRUTH #2: Catholic Charities helps anyone. 

Catholic Charities helps people in need. People across all spectrums. People who are struggling. People who need assistance. People who lead real lives. People who never knew poverty and now lay awake at night wondering in countless languages how they will get through another day.

People like you and me.  

Jesus didn’t say “Only help your own.” He didn’t say “Don’t help those despised Samaritans.” or “Don’t help the Jews and Romans who persecute me.” He said help everyone as you would help yourself.

But don’t trust me. Find out for yourself:

Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities East Bay

Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to where there was a garden, 
into which he and his disciples entered. Judas his betrayer also knew the place,  because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards from the chief priests and the Pharisees and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.

Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him, went out and said to them, “Whom are you looking for?” They answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.” He said to them, “I AM.” Judas his betrayer was also with them. When he said to them, “I AM,” they turned away and fell to the ground. So he again asked them, ”Whom are you looking for?” They said, “Jesus the Nazorean.” Jesus answered, ”I told you that I AM. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill what he had said, “I have not lost any of those you gave me.”

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, ”Put your sword into its scabbard. Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”

So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus, bound him, and brought him to Annas first. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews that it was better that one man should die rather than the people.

Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Now the other disciple was known to the high priest, and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus. But Peter stood at the gate outside. So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest,  went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in. Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter, ”You are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold, and were warming themselves. Peter was also standing there keeping warm.

The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his doctrine. Jesus answered him, ”I have spoken publicly to the world.I have always taught in a synagogue or in the temple area where all the Jews gather, and in secret I have said nothing. Why ask me? Ask those who heard me what I said to them. They know what I said.” When he had said this, one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said, ”Is this the way you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, ”If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm. And they said to him, ”You are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, ”I am not.” One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?” Again Peter denied it. And immediately the cock crowed.

Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was morning. And they themselves did not enter the praetorium, in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and said, ”What charge do you bring against this man?” They answered and said to him, ”If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” At this, Pilate said to them, ”Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.” The Jews answered him, ”We do not have the right to execute anyone,” in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled that he said indicating the kind of death he would die. 

So Pilate went back into the praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to him, ”Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, ”Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?” Pilate answered, ”I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, ”My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” So Pilate said to him, ”Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, ”You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world,  to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

When he had said this, he again went out to the Jews and said to them, ”I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover. Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, ”Not this one but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak, and they came to him and said, ”Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck him repeatedly.

Once more Pilate went out and said to them, ”Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak. And he said to them, “Behold, the man!” When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out, ”Crucify him, crucify him!”

Pilate said to them, ”Take him yourselves and crucify him. I find no guilt in him.” The Jews answered, ”We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.” Now when Pilate heard this statement, he became even more afraid, and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus, ”Where are you from?” Jesus did not answer him. So Pilate said to him, ”Do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, ”You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above. For this reason the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.” Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out, ”If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”

When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out and seated him on the judge’s bench in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha. It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon. And he said to the Jews, ”Behold, your king!”
They cried out, ”Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them,
“Shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests answered, ”We have no king but Caesar.” Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself,  he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ”Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.” Now many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city;  and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, ”Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, ”What I have written, I have written.”

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier. They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless,  woven in one piece from the top down. So they said to one another, ”Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be,” in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says: They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots. This is what the soldiers did.

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, ”Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, ”It is finished.” And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and that they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may come to believe. For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled: Not a bone of it will be broken. And again another passage says: They will look upon him whom they have pierced.

After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body. Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.

Focus on Christ.

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, ‘Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd.’

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying  and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him… He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes

My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, ‘Those guys are jerks.’ They really should get lives.’

He looked at me and said, ‘Hey thanks!’ There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.

I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before.

We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes.

We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him and my friends thought the same of him.

Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, ‘Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with his pile of books everyday! ‘He just laughed and handed me half the books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke.

I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship.

Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn’t me having to get up there and speak.

On graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous! Today was one of those days.

I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, ‘Hey, big guy, you’ll be great!’

He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. ‘Thanks,’ he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began, “Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years … Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach…but mostly your friends … I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story.”

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story about the first day we met.

He had planned to kill himself over that weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn’t have to do it after he was gone and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.’Thankfully, I was saved.

My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.’

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.

I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.Not until that moment did I realize it’s depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person’s life … for better … or for worse. God puts us all in each others lives to impact one another in some way … Look for God in others.

Well to my faithful audience out there… all two of you somewhere northwest of Moose Jaw… thanks for reading and for your concern.

I’m still on the planet… out in space maybe, but still here. Most of my blogergy has been invested in my primary blog Good News To-Go! Since I don’t prepare these blogs in advance, like a MacDonald’s hamburger, I can only serve up so many of these pups. 

Know that I still get riled up when I see social injustice. And it still bothers me when I see innocents being slaughtered around the world. And I wish to continue being a tiny, miniscule pause in someone’s life, so that maybe, just maybe, God can get their attention. 

So to my friends in Moose Jaw, Frostbite Falls, and Buttonwillow… thanks for reading. I’ll do my best to get back on the windy track. If you miss me that much visit Good News To-Go!

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him, “Child, your sins are forgiven.”

Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, “Why does this man speak that way?  He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?”

Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves,  so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth” – he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone.

They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

There are many themes in Scripture that we often see repeated. One is the astonishment of those who witness the miracles that Jesus performs. I believe we are surrounded by miracles, but in the vast majority of cases we’re too busy to see them. Imagine if the evening television tabloids were focused on the amazing work of God in our midst, instead of the colossal failures of the human spirit. I’d much rather witness those amazing acts than the false sensation of fallen celebrity. 

What hardens our hearts towards a desire to witness great acts of love and mercy? Why do we prefer sensational failures? Why can’t we yearn for gossip about the amazing triumphs of God at work through us?

“Tonight on The Insider… Britney Spears opens a shelter in New Orleans for woman caught in the vicious cycle of drug addiction and prostitution. And later, hear why rapper Kanye West donated all proceeds from a recent Los Angeles performance to establish a trust fund for three children who lost their parents in gang related violence. These and more amazing acts of compassion that you’ve never seen before, coming up next…”

Beloved, we love God because he first loved us.  If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 

This is the commandment we have from him: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Again, I put the question out there: If we as Jew, Christian, Muslim and Catholic find our roots in the God of Abraham, how is it that we ignore God’s commandment of love and continue to fight among ourselves? 

It seems that there are “liars” in our midst.