Everyone that has worked in industry would have had a ball if we had known about this invention. Apparently there is a group that will allow you to make your own bingo cards. Inside you can put certain catch phrases that we always hear in whatever industry we happen to work in. Just imagine the hilarity of hearing someone yell, “bingo!” in the middle of a staff meeting.

One of the games of conservative politics is the game of identity politics. Whatever you do, don’t run on your record. This is particularly true in Texas where Republicans have controlled statewide politics for 25 years. It’s kind of hard to saddle your problems on your opponents when they haven’t held statewide elected office this century.

So, you play identity politics. For Dan Patrick, your opponent isn’t Mike Collier. Collier is a mainstream Democrat that is hardly radical. At least he doesn’t have anything on his legislative resume that would scream radical. So, we tie him to every “dangerous” liberal we can think of in order to scare people from realizing that Republicans have done a perfectly good job of screwing up Texas on their own.

So, we link him to Joe Biden and his America. Let’s ignore that Biden inherited a nation where you could literally see the dumpster on fire. Let’s ignore that we have had record deficit reduction, job creation, and solid economic growth. Let’s ignore that COVID is now under control and the vast majority of the population got vaccinated in short order. Let’s ignore that our reputation around the world is coming back. Let’s forget about all of that. Mike Collier is not Joe Biden.

Then, we link him with AOC and “her Green New Deal”. Let’s forget two things immediately. First, let’s forget that most people couldn’t accurately tell you what’s actually in the Green New Deal. Secondly, let’s forget that the GOP can’t go three minutes without complaining about gas prices and our dependence on foreign oil. Yet, begin suggesting policies to move to alternative energy sources and you are a radical. Mike Collier is not AOC.

Then, we link him with Nancy Pelosi and California. Apparently, California is some kind of hell scape with zombies and the purge simultaneously coming to kill the residents there that haven’t already been radicalized. In actuality, they mentioned sanctuary cities, weak immigration policies, and cheap bail. Goodness knows we don’t want to be like those vegetable eating commies over there in California. They cannot produce quotes Collier of saying any of these things. He’s a Democrat. Nancy Pelosi is a Democrat. It must be so.

The candidate running against Lauren Boebert was so fed up in their debate about her mentioning Nancy Pelosi that he finally had to keep repeating his own name. This is Mike Collier. He’s running for Lieutenant Governor. Joe Biden isn’t running. Nancy Pelosi isn’t running. AOC isn’t running. I haven’t heard about “woke” policies, boys playing girls sports, or sanctuary cities, but if you had those on your bingo card you are today’s winner.

Author’s Note: I know many readers are not religious, but this story has its roots in religion since the story itself involves the practice of it. The statements made are statements of my own faith and are not meant as anything beyond that. If anyone is offended by the profession of faith I humbly apologize.

John Pavlovitz was introduced to me over a year ago by a friend and I’m glad he did. His columns are very similar to these to the point where it could seem that one inspires the other. He said what I was about to say yesterday. He put it in such a way that I couldn’t and yet a part of me was upset that I was being upstaged.

Yet, it is another concept I took from him that I borrow today. God’s nature is infinite and mysterious, so having a father, son, and spirit makes perfect sense. At different points in our lives we relate to one more than the others and that reliance can change depending on what we need in that moment.

Numerous folks are responding to the story of Nancy Pelosi being denied communion. Ultimately, that’s what we are talking about here and what John was talking about above. The communion is a sacred mystery and at the very center of our faith. We believe deeply that Jesus is present in the Eucharist. So, in denying communion, the archbishop isn’t merely denying her rights to attend a ceremony. He is denying her access to Jesus himself.

As John eloquently points out in his post, Jesus would have never done that to anyone no matter who they were or what they had done. He never would have denied himself to a sinner. That not only flies in the face of the central event of our faith (death and resurrection) but also every story we encounter in the gospels. “Whatever you do to these least of these you do unto me.”

Of course, the church’s stance on these things has always troubled me. I’ve watched my mother sit in the pews for over 40 years of my life and over 50 years of hers while the rest of us partook of Jesus. She was not welcome. She had not fully converted to Catholicism. She had attended mass more regularly than most Catholics and yet she was not welcome. Of course, most people would say why not just convert, but is that really the point? Can we imagine this Jesus (or any other Jesus) saying you can’t have me unless you have this special document that says you can?

It is a terrible contrast of having a gift that was given freely and completely that is as infinite as it was selfless. Yet, you have someone that can arbitrarily and publicly deny that gift to one or multiple individuals based not on what they have done, but what they have said and believe. It is impossible to reconcile these two. Moreover, it is mind-boggling to take something that is symbol of sacrifice, selflessness, and purity and debase it like that. It makes Jesus small. It makes our faith small. It makes us all somehow smaller.

God did not become human, humble himself, and sacrifice himself to become weaponized like this. God did this so he can be given freely to all that would accept him and seek him. God did this as an example of what we were supposed to be in this world. God did this knowing full well that all of us need love and yet none of us truly deserve it. For one to deny that to someone else is a sin. It might be the greatest of sins. None of us has a right to do that because it was a gift given freely to all of us. We can deny it to ourselves. We can’t keep it from anyone else.