September 3, 2026

Today in prayer I see that Jesus’ body is covered with wounds and sores. When wounds are inflicted on the powerless, Jesus feels it personally. When immigrants are beaten, tazed, or shocked with gloves and thrown into inhumane detention, Jesus feels their pain himself. This is the suffering of humanity, and Jesus shares that suffering.

God is with the suffering people; Jesus walks with them. Although detention and mistreatment are painful and detestable, imprisonment can be an intensely spiritual time, knowing that God is always with you, always on the side of the poor and oppressed. Jesus wants you to know he is always with you in your suffering.

But those of us feeling safe in our homes must speak out. Apathy is unacceptable. We must take whatever actions we can to stop the cruelty. This is not policing to uphold laws, which is generally for the common good of the people. We are witnessing the establishment of a cruel police state that enforces the capricious and even sadistic wishes of tyrants. Those of us who do not speak up are in a way complicit. It may not seem like much to attend a demonstration or write a letter to representatives, yet this is still something. We are obligated to do something.

Cruel oppression is like a toxic black mold in your house. You may think it can be contained to just one area, for example the bathroom. Yet this is not true. The mold spores spread through the house, and soon there is black mold in the kitchen, in the bedroom ceiling, and so on. The children are coughing and getting sick. The adults feel fatigued and achy. In just the same way, cruel oppression cannot be contained to just one corner of society.  Soon it infects the entire system. Thus we are either for it or against it. To keep quiet is to be for it, so it is important not to remain neutral. A million voices make a difference.

Amen.