Christians have been saying for a long time that Jesus saves, but it’s still nice to see it actually happen. While it would have been more symbolic on say Easter or Christmas the noble and selfless act of a young boy being saved by Jesus on Thanksgiving cannot be overlooked. Of course in this case I’m not talking about the Jesus of Christian theology. I’m talking about Jesus Manuel Cordova, an undocumented immigrant who found a 9 year old boy in the Arizona wilderness and stayed with him until help arrived. (( Bob Christie “Kin of boy saved by immigrant after Arizona desert crash found” ))

The poor child had left his badly injured mother after a car accident to find help. It was only through fortunate circumstances that Jesus Manuel Cordova found the child about two hours later. Together they returned to the accident but were unable to save the child’s mother, who was pinned inside. Jesus Manuel Cordova stayed with the child through the night, comforting him and offering his jacket and building a bonfire to keep him warm. The next morning, after some passing hunters called for help Jesus Manuel Cordova allowed himself to be detained and returned to Mexico by Border Patrol agents who were the first to respond.

Jesus Manuel Cordova is a true hero, in every sense of the word. While the Right will be quick to point out his “criminal” status they cannot diminish the selfless act that saved that boys life. Jesus Manuel Cordova is living proof that no matter how the Right tries to criminalize the undocumented immigrants who risk so much for the chance at a better life here, they cannot succeed in making them into actual criminals. So while it is true that Jesus Manuel Cordova committed a misdemeanor crime by entering the country illegially, he is a better American than many of the “true Americans” who are now attacking him. (( Lawrence Downes “What Part of ‘Illegal’ Don’t You Understand?” ))

This story, though tragic in many ways, serves to illustrate what many of us on the Left have been saying for years. Jesus Manuel Cordova and the millions of other undocumented immigrants who live and work in this country are overwhelmingly good people. They work hard, often for sub-standard wages and in unsafe conditions, for the chance to make a better life for themselves and their families. This country owes them all, not just Jesus Manuel Cordova, a debt of gratitude for it is upon the backs of immigrants that America has become the powerful nation that it has.

I know that there will always be those who hide their bigotry and racism behind conservative propaganda, and for those people not even this selfless and heroic act will change their opinions. I try to hold out hope that some of them will see that the teachings of the Christian Jesus had more in common with the actions of Jesus Manuel Cordova than to their own hatreds, intolerance, and racism. Maybe some will see that and that is why I am cutting my Thanksgiving break short to write this.

I hope everyone had a great and safe Thanksgiving. As we finish up our celebrations, and eat the last of our Thanksgiving leftovers, I hope each one of you can take a second to give thanks that a man was there when a little boy needed him. I hope that someday our laws are fixed, and Jesus Manuel Cordova and the millions like him, can live without ever needing to make the decision between freedom and saving a life. So Jesus Manuel Cordova, Summer and I thank you, even though you will not get to spend the holidays in America as you had dreamed, there is a child that does because you were here.

~ William Ludwig ~
http://wwjv4.com