In Sunday’s first reading, the ruler Moses is cast as a savior. He tells the people they will be saved if they are obedient to him. If not, it will be deadly for them, “that you may live … observe the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I am commanding you … (I) destroyed from your midst everyone who followed the (god) Baal of Peor.” In the Gospel, however, neither Jesus nor his disciples are submissive to the ruler Moses and all he commanded. The Pharisees accost them for this, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders?” Emerging from this Sunday’s readings is the question, who saves us and how?
As Peacemakers know Moses and the Pharisees are not saviors of the people, neither are the Clintons, McConnells, and McCains. They are fake saviors, deadly and destructive rulers. Sadly, many people, especially self-titled Christians, worship and obey fake saviors. Fake saviors includes capitalists whose traditions are deadly and destructive on a global scale. A fall 2018 book, Winners Take All, by Anand Giridharadas exposes capitalist fake saviors. For the author, fake saviors are liberal do-gooders whose philanthropy neither changes nor saves the world but only perpetuates its deadly social problems. The author accuses these liberal do-gooders, in advocating for mere pseudo-change, as paving the way for Trump, whom peacemakers know is a current fake savior. Giridharadas admits he is an insider. Thus, while he accurately analyzes the complicit naiveté of liberal do-gooders as mere reformers, who are using “Koch buildings” and “Monsanto” funds, he seems less deeply analytical of conservatives – the people who are actually responsible for paving the way for Trump. Conservatives demonstrate a masterful shrewdness over liberals. Conservers of the system, specifically of capitalism, convince people that liberals are substantially different from conservers. They are not. There are differences, but only in degrees. Liberals are reformist conservers but conservers nonetheless. Ruling conservers invent and manipulate a more severe distinction in order to use liberals as buffers, foils, more so as enemies. Doing so helps conservers of the capitalist system maintain it and their rule in it. Criticizing liberal rulers without recognizing them as colluding conservers, hinders recognizing the ruling class as fake saviors who are deadly and destructive.
Once upon a time there was an old town along a river. One day a rich man there was fishing but caught his hook on a person being swept away in the current, drowning. Upsetting the man who was fishing, the drowning man used the fishing line to make his way to shore. The next day the same thing happened. People in the near by town hailed the rich man as a hero. He liked the status and was joined by other men at the river who had not previously noticed the people being swept down the river and also wanted to help and be saviors. The helpers pooled their money and got a grant from the rich man to build a life-saving station which offered life-saving classes. The rich man was eventually elected mayor and with his helpers received further acclaim. The life-saving tradition had been going on for some time when one day a group of young woman from out of town came to the river. They saw what was going on and asked, “Why are all these people being swept down the river?” The question was met by ridicule from the rich man. The helpers also ridiculed the young women and told them to help them in saving the people or get out of the way. To their shock, the women walked away. However, in time, no more people were being swept down the river. The women returned to the now closing station and the men who had staffed it. The men were angry, “How could you have walked away when we needed assistants to save the people?” The women replied, “Someone needed to go upstream to the source of the problem. We found an agribusiness factory producing pesticides. Fumes from the product made employees sick and they were falling into the river. We opened healing organic farms in the area and closed down the factory. It was owned by the rich man, who had already moved on to his next saving project. The staff felt betrayed; useless with no one to save and started looking for a new hero. The women returned to their organic community. (Adapted from Going Upstream – Saul Alinsky)
Prayer: Spirit of Healing, may we be a source of change.
Question: What will it take for us to accept we are the healers we have been waiting for?
September 02, 2018 Gospel Mark 7:1-23 Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time