Last week in Texas thousands of believers flocked to an apartment building in Fort Worth to see the image of Jesus on a tortilla Andrew Brewer found in a package bought at a local market.  "It was a bad day at work and I wasn't going to go shopping, but I needed something to eat," says Mr. Brewer.  He continues, "When I got home I made myself dinner, which was fajitas, and I needed to warm some tortillas.  That's when I found one of them had an image of Jesus on it.  It was as clear as day."

Mr. Brewer immediately called a friend, who in turn called a local radio station with the information.  Within a few days Mr. Brewer's tortilla was known to the hundreds of people that listen to Free FM Fort Worth.  The station manager Dwain Barkley was excited over the reaction.  "We've gotten literally dozens of calls wanting to know how they can see Andrew's tortilla.  These people are true believers and they want to be closer to Jesus in any way possible."

Outside Mr. Brewer's apartment building a makeshift shrine has been erected with a newspaper photo of the now famed tortilla at the center of it.  Hundreds of people have come to the makeshift shrine to place notes on it and to light candles around it.  The tortilla in question was made in a factory just outside of Dallas at the Tex/Mex Tortilla company.  The owner refused to comment about the tortilla, but an employee that asked not to be named said that she sees a lot of tortillas come out of the tortilla machine with various images.  "I've seen tortillas with images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Elvis, Howard Stern; you name it I've seen it come out of that tortilla machine."

When told about the tortilla factory's employee's statement Mr. Brewer reacted by saying that he still thinks his tortilla is special because, "It really looks like Jesus' face is on it.  It's definitely a sign of something."  Asked what it might be a sign of Mr. Brewer said, "I don't know, what do you think?  Perhaps of the Apocalypse."

Many of the people gathered outside of Mr. Brewer's apartment feel the same way.  June Angelino is one of a growing group that thinks the tortilla is a sign that Jesus is on the side of amnesty for illegal immigrants.  "Clearly Jesus appearing on a tortilla is a sign that amnesty should be granted to those who crossed the border without papers.  I don't see Jesus showing up on a slice of Wonder Bread."

For his part Jesus Christ made a statement through his press agent stating that, "Any images found on tortillas, walls, tiles, clouds; slices of bread, spilled paint or milk, or the multitude of objects an image can appear on, are not representations of Jesus' true image.  Furthermore, any attempt to associate any political or social commentary on what is clearly a random coincidence is purely speculation."  In addition the statement continued, "Jesus will return to Earth when he feels it is necessary and certainly not as an image on a slice of bread.  It will be on his timetable and not before.  For the moment the conditions are not conducive to an understanding of his teachings."

When asked how the world would know Jesus had returned to Earth his press agent answered, "Oh you'll know.  There will be no doubt in anyone's mind."
 

There is always so much to do, so much to accomplish, and so much to fight for.  Some of us have decided that we "made it," as if this was a race with a definite finish line.  The prize we have all lost our eyes on is dignity.

On Martin Luther King Day we celebrate the life of a man who fought so that we could all stand proud at the table of humanity, a life that was dedicated to righting many of the wrongs of the world.  His was a life that was empowered by a belief that we are all created equally.

Sadly today comes as a memorial to that life, and that belief.  But today shouldn't have to be a memorial for a person who has passed, or for a belief long forgotten.  Memorials are for those things that have passed into oblivion.  Today should be a celebration, rather than a memorial, of the first steps we took as a country to right many horrible injustices.

But it's not a celebration, it's a day we set aside but forget.  I wonder if you went out on the street today and asked 10 people, "What day is today?  What significance does today have?" you might just get blank looks.  Perhaps you might get an answer such as, "It's Monday."

It is simply a symptom of our collective amnesia.  Because it is within our parent's lifetime that things were very different for many of us in this country.  We weren't just thought of as second-class citizens, we were thought of as subhuman, inferior.  But that was a lie, a portrayal that made sure we didn't have dignity, or strive for dignity.

What we should take from Martin Luther King is the idea of dignity.  He lived his life, preached his gospel, and walked his marches, in search of dignity.  He didn't want to have it handed to him.  He went out and led a nation to go out and seek it within itself, within each and every one of us.

But that is what we have lost in the years since he was brutally assassinated, the idea of dignity.  We have replaced it with shinny objects hanging from our necks, and pimped out rides.  We have replaced it with hateful indignities towards each other over pernicious culture of addiction.  We have replaced it with an overwhelming desire to fill the emptiness inside us through conspicuous consumerism.  We have replaced it with angst, anger and social fragmentation.

I feel that we have not lived up to the dream Dr. King spoke of long ago.  Today we are a more united nation, but I feel that the old divides have been only painted over, so to speak.  We have not addressed the issue of dignity among all people in this world, because we never seek to be our brother's keeper.  We never truly walk in each other's footsteps until it's us who suffer indignity.  It's only then that we sympathize with those who have suffered.  It would be best not to have to suffer one's own lost of dignity before feeling sympathetic towards someone also suffering.  It would be best to not contribute to another's indignity.  It would be best to lend a helping hand and not expect anything in return but fulfillment in one's own actions.

But we are a long ways from that kind of thinking.  Today we turn aside to let our fellow beings fall flat on their face.  That is why we have failed to pick ourselves out of the doldrums of indignity.  That is why we suffer.