An Easter Story: The Christian and the Jew

On Easter Sunday, I received two text messages wishing me a Happy Easter. One came from a Buddhist. The second was from a Jew. I received no Easter wishes from my Christain fiends except for a Trek salesman. Nor did I offer any. For those of us who pretend to be Christians, this holiday is just another excuse to eat and drink ourselves into a coma. Some people do like to dress nice and peacock each other at church. It's the busy season at most Christan churches, the only day of the year for most to pretend they're religious. But most of us who call ourselves Christians really are far from it. I include myself. So, who are Christians?  I'd say that the most Christian people I know are Jews. Let me tell you a story that corroborates this opinion. 

I have a good friend who happens to be Jewish. He is the real deal, too. Not some secular or self-loathing Jew. He attended Jewish Day School and learned Hebrew while I in a Catholic school was sipping the altar wine and pretending to know Latin. He goes to the synagogue while my church is a bike path. 

Very early on Saturday morning, somewhere around 6 or 7 am, someone repeatedly began to ring the doorbell at my Jewish friend's home. For those of us who pretend we are Christians, this would be a great excuse to pull out the Mauser or a shotgun and blow the intruder away. Castle doctrine and all that, you know. He could be an illegal. Better safe than sorry. 

Instead of grabbing a firearm, my friend grabbed the doorknob and opened. Standing there was a young boy, completely bare ass naked and a bit worse for the wear. My friend took him in, clothed him, fed him and called the police. Turns out the young man has developmental issues, and I believe police reunited the lad with his family. 

I have no doorbell, but on Easter Sunday, I was awakened by a rap-rap-rap at what seemed like my door. It was only 6 am, so I thought it must be me dreaming. But it continued. After about 15 minutes, I realized that someone actually was banging on my door. I swung the door open and there was my neighbor in stupid pajamas, telling me that his zippered socks were stuck and asking me for help to unzipper them.

"No!" I shouted. Before slamming the door shut, I told this idiot not to bother me before 9 am unless he's dying or dead. I don't have a shotgun, but I don't need one because I'm pretty scary at 6 am, especially if I have no caffeine. 

Now if I were a real Christian, I would have helped this guy and maybe I even would have washed his feet. But I'm not.

So as I have long maintained, the most Christian people I know are Jews. 

Want more proof? Here's the Easter message that President Donald Trump, a "Christian," spewed on Truth Social: 

"Happy Easter to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting and scheming so hard to bring Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, the Mentally Insane, and well known MS-13 Gang Members and Wife Beaters, back into our Country. Happy Easter also to the WEAK and INEFFECTIVE Judges and Law Enforcement Officials who are allowing this sinister attack on our Nation to continue, an attack so violent that it will never be forgotten! Sleepy Joe Biden purposefully allowed Millions of CRIMINALS to enter our Country, totally unvetted and unchecked, through an Open Borders Policy that will go down in history as the single most calamitous act ever perpetrated upon America. He was, by far, our WORST and most Incompetent President, a man who had absolutely no idea what he was doing — But to him, and to the person that ran and manipulated the Auto Pen (perhaps our REAL President!), and to all of the people who CHEATED in the 2020 Presidential Election in order to get this highly destructive Moron Elected, I wish you, with great love, sincerity, and affection, a very Happy Easter!!!"

Let's contrast his screed with the poetic message delivered by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who happens to be Jewish:

"Today is a very special day, one we always eagerly await, celebrated by millions of people. Easter. A day that is a beam of light – especially bright and strong during times when dark clouds try to cover our sky. A day that gives us all hope and reminds us: evil has its hour, but God has His day. This is one of the meanings embedded in the history of Christ. About His earthly suffering and death, and about His resurrection, about how, sooner or later, but inevitably, evil will retreat, and life will triumph."

Do you remember when the world had leaders that appealed to our better angels instead of hatred and fear? Right now, the field appears to be limited to one person, who was a comic before he went into politics. 

Religious Intolerance In Mosul

Father Alex, a good friend who will be here for the Lebanese festival in Easton next weekend, has posted a letter from Patriarch of the Babylon for the Chaldean. This is the 500,000-strong Chaldean Catholic Church, which is a part of the Roman Catholic Church. Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako has a disturbing report of discrimination against Christians in Mosul.

To all who have a living conscience in Iraq and all the world
To the voice of moderate brother Muslims who have a voice in Iraq and all the world
To all who have a concern that Iraq could remain a country for all His Children
To all leaders of thought and opinion
To all who announce the freedom of the human being
To all protectors of the dignity of human beings and of religion
PEACE AND MERCY FROM GOD!

The control exercised by the Islamist Jehadists upon the city of Mosul, and their proclamation of it as an Islamic State, after several days of calm and expectant watching of events, has now come to reflect negatively upon the Christian population of the city and its environs.

The initial sign was in the kidnapping of the two nuns and 3 orphans who were released after 17 days. At the time, we experienced it as a flash of hope and as a clearing of the sky after the appearance of storm clouds.

Suddenly we have been surprised by the more recent outcomes which are the proclamation of an Islamic state and the announcement calling all Christians and clearly asking them to convert to Islam or to pay the joziah (the tax all non- Muslims must pay while living in the land of Islam) – without specifying the exact amount. The only alternative is to abandon the city and their houses with only the clothes they are wearing, taking nothing else. Moreover, by Islamic law, upon their departure, their houses are no longer their properties but are instantly confiscated as property of the Islamic state.

In recent days, there has been written the letter ‘N’ in Arabic on the front wall of Christian homes, signifying ‘Nazara’ (Christian), and on the front wall of Shiite homes, the letter ‘R’ signifying ‘Rwafidh’ (Protestants or rejecters). We do not know what will happen in future days because in an Islamic state the Al – sharia or Islamic code of law is powerful and has been interpreted to require the issuance of new I.Ds for the population based on religious or sectarian affiliation.

This categorization based upon religion or sect afflicts the Muslims as well and contravenes the regulation of Islamic thought which is expressed in the Quran which says, “You have your religion and I have my religion” and yet another place in Quran states, “There is no compulsion in religion”. This is exactly the contradiction in the life and history of the Islamic world for more than 1400 years and in the co – existence with other different religions and nations in the East and in the West.

With all due respect to belief and dogmas, there has been a fraternal life between Christians and Muslims. How much the Christians have shared here in our East specifically from the beginnings of Islam. They shared every sweet and bitter circumstance of life; Christian and Muslim blood has been mixed as it was shed in the defense of their rights and lands. Together they built a civilization, cities, and a heritage. It is truly unjust now to treat Christians by rejecting them and throwing them away, considering them as nothing.

It is clear that the result of all this discrimination legally enforced will be the very dangerous elimination of the possibility of co – existence between majorities and minorities. It will be very harmful to Muslims themselves both in the near and the distant future.

Should this direction continue to be pursued, Iraq will come face to face with human, civil, and historic catastrophe.

We call with all the force available to us; we call to you fraternally, in a spirit of human brotherhood; we call to you urgently; we call to you impelled by risk and in spite of the risk. We implore in particular our Iraqi brothers asking them to reconsider and reflect upon the strategy they have adopted and demanding that they must respect innocent and weaponless people of all nationalities, religions, and sects.

The Holy Quran has ordered believers to respect the innocent and has never called them to seize the belongings, the possessions, the properties of others by force. The Quran commands refuge for the widow, the orphaned, the poor, and the weaponless and respect “to the seventh neighbor.”

We call Christians in the region to act with reason and prudence and to consider and to plan everything in the best way possible. Let them understand what is planned for this region, to practice solidarity in love, to examine the realities together and so be able together to find the paths to build trust in themselves and in their neighbors. Let them stay close to their own Church and surround it; endure the time of trial and pray until the storm will be over.