I give you a new commandment

As a small child, I started to question whether I liked my first name.

It seemed to me that if it was a good name, more people would have it. You see I noticed that within my circle of friends, many shared the same first names. For instance, I knew more than one Bill, Steve, Tony, Chris, Joe, or John; but from what I could tell, I was the only "Bruce". I also noticed on both sides of my family that there was no mention of anyone sharing my name.

One day, I asked my Mother, "how did I get the name of Bruce?" She told me that I was named after a five year old comedian who had Polio. (My mother, before she married my father, was a registered nurse who was sent to communities through out the country when they had an outbreak of Polio.) In reference to the five year old comedian, she stated that one time he was laying on the exam table with his bottom exposed for a shot. He looked over his shoulder and said: "Watch it Doc, that looks pointy".

Since I was terrified of shots, I was impressed by my namesake's courage.

The story has stayed with me all my life and it has played a role in forming my perception of many experiences, especially later in life when I became a chaplain in the Department of Veterans Affairs. As a Chaplain, I witnessed many instances where Veterans would be experiencing a great deal of pain and suffering. The Doctors and Nurses would have to maintain their objectivity in order to take effective action; however sometimes you would see a caregiver tear up in the face of suffering. In those moments, it was amazing to see

the suffering patient reach out in some form to comfort his/her caregiver.

Since I still hate getting shots as an adult, I know longer equate it with being an act of courage; but I have come to understand that my namesake was gifted with a strong sense of compassion. At an early age, he was learning how to love others in the face of his own suffering before himself.

The recent fire in Los Angelas has caught the attention of the entire country. It has brought pain and suffering to the rich and the poor; and it is providing us with a multitude of examples of heroism and self sacrifice. At the same time, it has offered opportunity to a group of self-centered malcontents who are determined to profit over other peoples misfortune. The question is whether we are willing to conform to our better angels.

As Christians we are called to provide comfort to the suffering; and to apply objective reason to the factors that led to this tragedy. Looking for scapegoats and for reprisal will not lead to less suffering in the future. We should ask the question, "What would Jesus say?" If we are truly honest, we will recognize that he has already said it:

“As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.”