Sunday’s first reading includes the War Lord Yahweh ordering his supporters to “keep his statutes and commandments.” The people believe Yahweh deserves their loyalty because he “took a nation for himself…by testings, …by war,…and by great terrors.” Jesus’ Gospel also includes commands, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” But Jesus is a peacemaking mortal whose ‘commands’ are all about gathering people together, loving enemies, and being a healer.
Loyalty means dogged allegiance to a person or institution and originates from fidelity to royals. The quality is in the news of late. The U.S. Empire is coercing a loyalty dilemma. Its nation state of elected and unelected officials who want loyalty is feuding with its ‘Deep State’ that wants the same quality. The nation state is focusing its loyalty around President Trump whereas the ‘Deep State’ is focusing it around former FBI Director James Comey. Comey’s book, A Higher Loyalty, is viewed by corporate media as highlighting the loyalty split. Comey shows a loyalty to racial profiling, mass incarceration, and torture, whereas Trump shows a loyalty to racial profiling, mass incarceration, and torture. There is no split. Like all War Lords both men seek esteem and need loyal minions. Like all War Lords their methods to gain it make use of violence ranging from subtle coercion to forcible demands; status, rewards, propaganda, oaths, threats, jail, and death which they use against each other and innocent people. Japanese Catholic author, Shusaku Endo explored violent methods to gain loyalty in his 1966 book, Silence, made into a 2016 film by Martin Scorsese. The central conflict was the practice of Japanese War Lords coercing loyalty to the empire by forcing Christians to trample on a fumi-e, a picture of Jesus. Those who refused would be forced to watch as others were tortured and murdered until they stepped on it. As one character weighs his coerced state he hears the voice of Christ, “You may trample. You may trample.” As if a life in Christ is exemplified by loyalty to idols, of any type – a picture, a nation, War Lords of the Bible, history, or current. Peacemakers do not exist in memorial to one who has died but in mission to everyone who is living. War Lords may take our bodies but they cannot take our witness, they cannot take our lives. We give our lives as peacemaking mortals who gather all people together, love enemies, and are healers. We are free of empires and their War Lords who demand dogged loyalty.
“This is the hardest part: When I came back to life I was a good family dog and not too friendly to strangers. I got a thirty-five dollar raise in salary, and through the pea-soup fogs I drove the General, and introduced him at rallies. I had a totalitarian approach and was a massive boost to his popularity. … This is par for the course-I will be employing sundry golf metaphors henceforth, because a dog, best friend and chief advisor to the General, should. … He held his automatic to my little head and recited a poem about my many weaknesses, for which I loved him so. (Loyalty – James Tate)
Prayer: Spirit, guide us from dogged loyalty to compassionate freedom.
Question: How does this empire coerce loyalty from me?
May 27, 2018 Gospel Matthew 28:16-20 Holy Trinity Sunday (Memorial Day weekend)