NO, REALLY! LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF

Why Christians need to do so now more than ever

By: Carlos Solorzano

  It's a crucial time in the history of the church. We have the Prop. 8 Trial in California , we have wars going on overseas, legalized abortion, the death penalty and on top of that, we have our children attending secular schools and universities when they're not indulging in entertainment that should be the greatest source of embarrassment for this country.

  And that's before I get to cheating in professional sports as well as the personal behavior of professional athletes.

  So now it's time for the tough question. Why does a world full of pain not see the hope of the Gospel? Because, we have failed the world in our actions. Yes, we believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. But that helps us , what about others? If Christians now have the awareness of the truth then it is time for us to realize that we are now physician that needs to seek out the sick.

  The truth is, many of us already do that. We have taken to heart the words of Teresa of Avila when she said; Christ has no body now but yours . But sometimes we forget that we are human beings and get caught up in worldly things. That's why I'd like to remind us all of the words of St. Francis: Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.

  Sadly, there have been Christians that on one hand confess their faith in Jesus but on the other hand demonstrate a behavior that is completely un-Christlike. So why don't we go ahead and address some of the terrible things that are being said and taught by what we'll call misguided Christians.

  First of all, God doesn't hate homosexuals. If you want to reach out to them, love them! Just because you disagree with someone's lifestyle doesn't mean that you're a bigot. And if they see your behavior reflecting the love of God they cannot and will not accuse you of such things. If they try, ask them to repeat all that you have done for them and then ask them if they can honestly say that you have demonstrated such hostility towards them.

  Second, regardless of what you might hear on stations like TBN, any war is not just in the eyes of God. War represents the most serious of human errors and ignorance. And with that being said, the Republican and/or Democratic parties (the ones who send our troops to war) are not God's vessels of truth, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is. And since we're talking about wars in the Middle East , let's talk about something that many people tend to imply in their critique of the enemy. Islam and Muslim people in general are not our enemy. Yes, there is a faction of Muslims that have been misguided by political activists (the same goes for some Christians) but Islam as a religion does not teach hatred. Yes, the Koran has some passages that are quite disturbing but so does our bible. All we have to do is read through the Mosaic Law. And let's not forget, some Middle Eastern people are also Christians.

  Those who practice abortion, the death penalty and even cheating in sports are not bad people. They are misguided and have been misled by strategic theories that are meant to make money or satisfy the violent appetite of those that have little regard for any of our lives. If you look closely, these people are indeed suffering and unfortunately continue to look to the same lies and deception that put them into this position rather than the healing arms of Jesus.

  But how are they to find Jesus if they encounter a judgmental Christian? Why would the taunting words of Christians appeal to anyone when others are not doing the same thing? Sure, one's intentions are not always sincere but when someone is wounded they are not always thinking logically. They need love and comfort first and once trust has been established it is easier for them to listen. We are always called to love first and if we're not doing that we're not only failing those that are wounded but also failing the will of God.

  While this is a tough time we should also be celebrating. We should be happy not only because of the fact that God loved us so much that He sent us His only Son but also because through the power of the Holy Spirit we can see God's trust in us since He calls and uses us to be His instrument on earth today.

  Alleluia!

CARLOS SOLORZANO has a BA and MA in Religious Studies from Cal State Long Beach. He teaches theology at Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson , AZ.