I began Lent with a reflection that started with a quote from a character played by Gene Hackman. "I see two men - the man that you are and the man that you ought to be. Someday those two will meet." As we approach the end of Lent, I wonder if maybe, just maybe, for a large part of the United States - that day could be today.
On Holy Thursday, Jesus kept saying to the disciples, "Pray that you may not undergo the test." What test? What was he talking about? Did he mean them being forced to put their own lives on the line in order to stand up for their faith? Or did he mean the kind of test that Pilate was faced with? Would Pilate stand by his convictions or give in to the overwhelming pressure of the crowd?
A day ago, it seemed completely hopeless. Trump and the president of El Salvador said that nothing could be done to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia - that "terrorist" - to the United States. The Judiciary branch could not tell the Executive branch what to do about foreign matters. We were told a long time ago that the Judiciary branch did not have the power to enforce compliance with the law for the executive branch, even if it found them guilty. The bullies in the White House could virtually do whatever they pleased and there wasn't a damn thing that any of us could do about it.
I fully expected my country to do what Pilate did on the first Good Friday. I expected them to crumble under the overwhelming pressure of the White House and throw up their hands, saying that nothing could be done. I expected them to ask whether this was really a hill worth dying on, anyway. It was just one man. He is an illegal alien. He isn't really one of "us". I expected them to turn their attention elsewhere, to more self-centered ambitions. I fully expected Kilmar to be "forgotten like the unremembered dead".
Then the Easter miracle happened. The judge would not give up. She was determined to use what little power she had to prosecute the White House and the DOJ for not following her order to facilitate the return of this man. "Cancel your vacations!" She boldly declared. Then common, ordinary citizens began to raise their voices. People in town halls demanded that our representatives fight for his release. Protestors literally stood behind his wife with signs demanding that he be brought home. A group of senators are planning a trip to El Salvador to speak with the president about his release. We decided as a nation that the welfare of just one person was a hill work dying on, and at that point we became a nation worth being a part of. We began to fight for a government that is truly, "for the people, by the people."
Over the past few months, I have seen great evil taking place - lies, manipulations of the truth, scapegoating and the infliction of incredible suffering on millions of people because of greed and prejudice. Yet, in the midst of this atrocity, courage and honor have risen up. Somehow we realized that we are all God's children and that this man is our Christian brother. We, the common, ordinary people have decided that this is not Trump's nation, it is OURS!
"We can't go on, pretending day by day, that someone, somewhere will soon make a change. We are all a part of God's great big family, and the truth - love is all we need!" WE ARE THE WORLD by USA for Africa (1985)
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