A wise friend told me as a newly ordained priest that my first controversy in the church would most likely be caused by two people who love the church so deeply that they’ll hold firm to their values and fight for what they love — even as they tear it apart. I see playing out in our greater society. I have to believe America’s soul is caught in the middle of two sides that love our nation so much they’re holding their ground firmly, even as American families face loss of access to health care, healing, and well-being, now compounded by food insecurity and the pain of hunger.
I am firmly convinced that no elected official accountable to their neighbors would say, “I hate America” or “I hate my neighbor.” It is nearly impossible for someone who doesn’t know their neighbors to be elected to office in this country. Our American democracy necessitates outreach that sees our elected officials knocking on doors, speaking to their neighbors, and convincing them that they see and hear their plight — showing care and willingness to promote the good convincingly enough that at least 50% plus one of their neighbors send them from City Council to the presidency. They must convince them once, then repeat the cycle every two, four or six years.
Every elected official, regardless of party, has a mandate to represent the communities that entrusted them with the responsibility to protect and prosper. As I watched the news unfold, I felt I was stepping into the biblical narrative: Two women love a child so much that their conflict nearly has the infant cut in two. Their love for the child was so convincing that it wasn’t until the child was nearly destroyed that one side conceded, and the child was spared.
Someone has conceded, the shutdown is ending and now we can see what this struggle revealed about our nation’s soul. It remains a catastrophe for America’s dignity that those who love her are locked in a struggle that, in its current form, threatens either malady through illness or agony by hunger. Our nation’s wealth, prestige, and great history have been reduced before the eyes of the world to a battle over how quickly our people would perish.
I feel this tug of war in my own life and see it play out in my family and community. For the past week, an email sits unopened in my inbox, beckoning me to discover my new Obamacare premium for 2026. I haven’t opened it, and I hope that those we voted for — the ones who convinced us they care — would back down and end this uncertainty for America’s families for the sake of our shared health and moral well-being. Already, this month’s premium had my wife and me counting every pizza and slice we offered at our daughter’s 10th birthday party this past Saturday as we recovered from a medical crisis I experienced earlier in the year that separated me from the community I love and brought drastic changes into our lives.
Today, I walk with many neighbors who are sick or recovering from illness, unemployed, have limited income, and have either already opened that email or, like me, chosen to ignore it a little longer. As a priest, many are surprised to learn that my income came from full-time work outside the church. I felt blessed walking with my neighbors and parishioners this way because the Lord has provided us with enough talent and opportunity to bring daily bread to our tables through hard work and ingenuity. I feel no shame walking with my community and sharing in communal labor: all of us working more than one job during the week, coming together on Sundays to worship, and gathering during the week to help our neighbors. That’s how my parents lifted our family out of poverty and contributed to our community. Sadly, today, two jobs can barely get you an apartment, let alone affordable health care.
This is the reality we still face. The net effect of this struggle in Washington revealed this truth: our nation’s wealth will ultimately come at the expense of our nation’s health because if it’s either food or medicine, we are carving out 50% of what we need to live. Those in need of food assistance are most likely already receiving a health care subsidy and are in need not of a victory but for 50% plus one of those who attest to love us to set aside their point of view and their own power, not for the sake of winning, but to keep America from losing.
The Rev. Dr. José Rodriguez is a priest in Azalea Park where he grew up and continues to serve as an advocate for his neighbors.
