So, I’m about to agree with Marjorie Taylor Greene, never thought I’d write that sentence…it’s time to look outside for flying pigs. I have never agreed with her about anything…until the release of the Epstein files became a fight. That should not be a fight. It should happen. The victims deserve that…at least that. I respect that she has a relationship with several of the victims and I respect that she broke with Trump on signing a petition for the release of the Epstein files. Broke with the president and the republican majority. Seems like such a no brainer. Release them. Duh. There needs to be accountability for trafficking and abusing young girls…whoever was involved. Regardless of party affiliation. It’s one of the most horrific examples of sexual crimes against young girls in this country…ever.

Regardless of our differences, I would never think it was okay to send death threats to her or her family. I saw a clip of her giving a speech and she talked about the death threats and her fears for herself and her family. She said she reached out to people in the Trump administration for help and got no response…except Kash Patel who said he was on it. She told the audience, “I don’t know what he’s on.” That got a good laugh. But the most disturbing thing was the president’s response…and she saved the text messages. He told her she deserved the death threats. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, and it was, the President of the United States told her that if her son were murdered it would be her fault. What the total fuck?!

My daughter died four months ago, and it is the worst and most painful thing I’ve ever experienced. I would not wish it on anyone. I could never wish for someone to lose their child…no one…ever. It is inconceivable to me that anyone would want someone’s child threatened and that you would tell a parent that if anything happened it was their own fault. That’s some cold-hearted bullshit. I’m not big on calling people evil but this really challenges my thinking on that.

Here’s the thing, this administration does a lot of claiming and proclaiming their so called “Christianity” …flaunting it even. But there’s something off there…a disconnect. Saint Catherine of Siena said that freedom isn’t free until it serves. Service. To serve, “perform duties or services for another person or organization.” Freedom isn’t free until it opens itself to a belief, a cause, or a vision beyond itself, according to Saint Catherine. Something beyond ourselves. It’s not all about me…or you. That attitude of service, thinking of others, is not prevalent in our current government…with all its gold adornments and vanity projects. I’m not sure it even exists.

Since the president thinks he’s Jesus, he should be more familiar with what Jesus taught…love, kindness, compassion, standing up to injustice, defending the defenseless, modeling equality, treating people with respect. It doesn’t matter what your personal beliefs are or whether you’re part of a religion or an atheist, those are basic values we should be able to agree on. Seems simple. Duh, right? And yet the current administration does not. How do I know? Just watch the news or listen to interviews, these men tell you themselves. For example, the president, speaking about his war with Iran, said he was going to obliterate their country. Or saying he doesn’t even think about the American people and their struggles right now. Or trying to pick a fight with the Pope. Seriously? People in the administration said the Pope should stay away from issues about theology…hmmm. I’m pretty sure issues of theology are his job. Or saying that the Pope is for Iran having nuclear weapons when the Pope has consistently spoken out against war and the use of nuclear weapons. I disagree with the Catholic Church on many things, but the church is clear on its opposition to war and nuclear weapons. I realize in the olden days that was not always the case…the Catholic Church has a past.

Jesus was not so different than other great teachers and religious leaders in what he taught. They all talked about the need to love. Love your neighbors. Love your enemies. Love children. Love all people. Period. Full stop. Fairly straightforward and clear.

What would that look like? I’m glad you asked. This is an example from the Bible. The story is in the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and Thomas…A man was having a dinner, so he sent his servant around to his friend’s homes to invite them…seems like you’d do that before you prepare a huge meal, but whatever. One by one all his friends decline the invitation. They’re too busy or have other plans. So, the man sends his servant out again and tells him to bring back anyone he can find until his banquet hall is full. Anyone. That’s a big deal back then…or now. This is a person of means and some standing in the community. Probably in a position of power, and he opens his home to everyone. People did not do that. There were classes of people and the upper did not mix with the lower.

Imagine what that would look like now…the president, Jeff Bezos, or Mark Zuckerberg are having a party. They send a chauffeur around to pick up their friends, and they all turn down the offer. So, Mr. T, B, or Z send the chauffeur out again with instructions to pick up anyone they can find. Who would they find? Women, the unhoused, people suffering from poverty, people with mental illness, LGBTQ+ folks, the disabled, African Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, people from the Latin X community, non English speakers, people from other countries, folks with substance abuse problems, gang members, people who have been in prison, people on parole or probation, the hopeless, the weary, Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, atheists. This list is not all inclusive because there are so many possibilities…so many people. Hopefully, you get the idea.

When you include everyone, you find a lot of people who are not usually, or ever, on the list of acceptable guests. You get the real people from the real world. People with real lives and real struggles. That’s life. Real life. Not a bunch of white, male, billionaires pretending they have any clue what life is like for 99% of this country, or this world. I’m not sure those men give the 99% of us much, or any, thought at all. We are invisible to them…too far beneath them to care.

Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest and author, says that we make a mistake when we try to be spiritual before we learn to be human. I think that’s a major problem in our country…not enough humans. We have plenty of people proclaiming their spirituality, or their connection to a god, but having zero humanity. Jesus modeled humanity. That’s why he told that story. To show us how to be human. It seems like it should come naturally to us, but it doesn’t. We like to exclude and favor, to rank and shun. We decide regularly who matters and who doesn’t. Who deserves our kindness or attention and who does not. Jesus lived his values. His words matched his life. Other great teachers modeled the same thing. They embodied the principles they followed. They lived what mattered to them. Lao Tzu, author of the Tao Te Ching, a foundational text of Taoism, said that a ruler leads not by acting important but by their speech and their steps…their actions. It’s a powerful thing when our words and actions align in our lives.

So, how do we become more human? What did Jesus model for humanity? It starts and ends with love. That may sound simplistic but imagine a world where everyone acted from love. Where every person, no matter their position, power, money…no matter what…the only motivation was love and the intention across the board was to show love in every word and action. Imagine all the people living life in peace. You can’t bomb someone you love. You can’t turn your back on the needs of people you love. You can’t live comfortably having everything when people you love have nothing. You can’t claim a spirituality, or a religion, or a God and watch your neighbor starve.

Love is a powerful force…it transforms the lover and the loved. And in the end, all that matters is how we love people. That’s the starting point for learning to be human. It’s the whole point. Loving is human. Loving is divine. It’s time to become the humans we claim to be. Love will win…but only if we do it. Actions speak louder than words. Love speaks the loudest. Let’s turn up the volume and manifest the power of love. Just imagine.