During the season of Easter, Christians celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. What better time to reflect upon His key teachings – love God and love each other. Jesus told us that includes enemies, strangers, children, the sick, the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind.
Overlapping the Easter season is our annual season of law making – the Mississippi Legislature is in session. What better time to reflect upon the tenor of laws being made – or not made – in comparison with Jesus’ key teachings.
Oh, but lawmaking is government work and religion must be kept separate from government.
Horse feathers.
Jesus’ teachings beget the values that reside in the hearts and minds of men and women of good will. These values cannot and should not be walled off from their decisions, whether in government, business, or civic works.
“Values are more than potential materials for the legislative law-maker,” wrote Oliver Wendel Holmes Jr. in his 1881 book The Common Law. “They serve as critique of proposed measures of lawmaking.”
Holmes, called “the greatest of our age in the domain of jurisprudence” when he died in 1932, hit the nail on the head. In critiquing the lawmaking of our legislators do we observe therein values commensurate with Jesus’ teachings?
Yes and no.
Regretfully, signs of the seven deadly sins can be found. But most disheartening is the form of sloth we know as indifference, especially toward those Jesus particularly called on His followers to help.
It is not that our legislators choose not to answer every call for assistance. It is that many act indifferent, at times antagonistic, to both the needs and those in need. And where they could prudently offer assistance, they too often turn away.
Fortunately, there are those in the Legislature who are striving to overcome that indifference. Yes, conscientious conservatives are among them.
This Easter season, let us find a few moments to pray for our legislators, that their works shall be for the glory of the resurrected Christ and not indifferent to those in need.
Crawford is a syndicated columnist from Jackson.