“As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth,” who was thus judged to be a sinner, including by disciples. They ask, is his blindness the sin of “this man or his parents.” Jesus replied, “Neither,” “it is so the works of God might be made visible through him.” Jesus then works to heal the man. He “spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes.” Rulers, whose work is to wage war on sinners, are upset the man is healed. Jesus suggests it is thus the rulers who are blind and commit the sin, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.”
What is our blindness? Are we blind to living in a U.S. Empire and its works of war. We are likely average people taught to identify as citizens, influenced to value national loyalty, trained to honor the nation’s soldiers who work for war. Perhaps we have chosen no other identity, decided to value no other people, trained to honor no other way of life. We may not look to see if another Way is possible. Members of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), whose primary care is for mental health, thought they had crafted another way. They crafted works of healing, a healthy code for a healthy way of life. But some members joined with this Empire’s Militarists for their works of war. It was most pronounced in their joint torture of human beings imprisoned at Abu Ghraib. James Risen wrote about it in his book, Pay Any Price: Greed, Power, and Endless War. It prompted the APA to commission an investigation. The subsequent Hoffman Report details the APA’s blindness and thus their sins. With APA member guidance, soldiers waged war against imprisoned men whom they tortured. Their works of war included mental, physical, and sexual abuse, torture, rape, sodomy, and murder. Some took photos but they recede as wallpaper to which we too become blind. The usual response to works of war ensued; admit nothing, deny everything, and assault with counter-accusations. As in the Gospel with rulers upset with the blind man healed, Militarism’s rulers are upset with the APA’s attempts to heal their blindness. Rulers are exerting force still against the APA to turn a blind eye to Militarism’s unhealthy works of war. Some argue the psychiatric profession is itself unhealthy, depressed by clinical hierarchy and lacking a social ethic. Professor Max Bazerman is among those attempting a social ethic and a social healing. In Blind Spots: Why We Fail To Do What’s Right and What To Do About It, Bazerman asserts “that good people do bad things without being aware that they are doing anything wrong.” But that of course is the point of Militarism and its unhealthy works of war. It works to make good people blind to an Empire’s sins of torturing and killing human beings as policy. These Militarists, like their Pharisaical ancestors, claim sight; ‘Surely we are not blind.’ But they are blind, to the death of innocent civilians termed collateral damage. They are blind, to war’s weapons costing trillions of dollars that leave few dollars for a Global Pandemic Council. They are blind, to universal health care or public health needs such as ventilators, masks, Covid-19 Test Kits, and personal protective equipment for health care professionals. Perpetually we see the works of war funded while we see the works of healing unfunded. We see the works of healing in nurses and doctors serving those who are ill. We can see the works of healing in songs shared across the piazza, in family visiting elderly parents through the window of their nursing home, in neighbors making grocery runs for neighbors unable to get out. Each person and each community doing the works of healing is curing us of our blindness to soldiers and their works of war.
“He has a job to do. Solutions slop in trays beneath his hands… something is happening. (He sees) a stranger’s features faintly start to twist before his eyes, a half formed ghost. He remembers the cries… A hundred agonies in black and white from which his editor will pick out five or six for Sunday’s supplement.” (War Photographer – Carol Ann Duffy)
Prayer: Spirit, give me the courage of sight.
Question: What is the greater health to which I am blind and what will I do to see?
March 22, 2020 Gospel John 9:1-41 Fourth Sunday of Lent
Sun, Mar 29, 2020 5th Sunday of Lent