by Tom Tunny, Hamilton
James Talerico, Democratic Senatorial candidate in Texas, is a former middle school teacher now studying for the ministry. I think his position on how we treat, or should treat, our neighbors was “spot on”.
I quote him here: “You can treat people however you want as long as you have a personal relationship with Jesus is an abomination. Scripture tells us that you can’t love God and hate other people. You can’t love God and abuse the immigrant. You can’t love God and oppress the poor. You can’t love God and bully the outcast. We spend so much time looking for God out there that we miss God in the person sitting right next to us in that neighbor who bears the divine.”
Mr. Talarico says, “I was brought up to believe that in the face of our neighbor, we glimpse the face of God. Matthew 25 tells us Christians exactly how we’re gonna be judged and how we’re gonna be saved by feeding the hungry, by healing the sick, by welcoming the stranger.”
“I often wonder”, he says, “what would Jesus do if he visited the US Senate. I think he would tell the Senators on the floor, Depart from me! I was hungry and you cut my food assistance. I was sick and you kicked me off Medicaid. I was a stranger and you deported me and my family. I think he would flip over those fancy desks on the floor of the US Senate and demand that we take care of all of our neighbors, especially the least of these.”
“God’s eye is on the sparrow-the smallest bird. We, as a community, do better when we keep our eye on the sparrows!”
Food for thought!
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