In Jesus’ time, learned scholars, closed off from the people, devised rules for the people to obey. Often using specialized language, the scholars asserted knowledge, especially about a violent God, hidden from mere commoners. The learned rulers kept the people divided, arguing over minutiae about their God’s rules. In contrast, Jesus spoke openly in public, conversing with whomever he met on his travels. He told stories with everyday symbols and metaphors, creating meaning for people to grow in wisdom. In today’s Gospel Jesus pokes some fun when he says God “has hidden things from the learned and the clever but revealed to the little ones.”
Learned rulers still convene for exclusion and still devise their violent God’s rules for common people to obey. Learned rulers and their consorts still tell of hidden knowledge and keep the people divided, arguing over minutiae. It is the basis of conspiracy theories – which are devised by rulers, not for our wisdom but to keep us divided. People are divided, arguing over the minutiae of corona virus masks and are kept unwise about elites who have unlimited health care yet operate a political system that denies it to the rest of us; arguing over the minutiae of Pizza Gate and are kept unwise about global elites’ perpetually trafficking people, even kids, for sex and labor in a financial system of world-wide plunder called capitalism; arguing over the minutiae of a staged Sandy Hook shooting and kept unwise about elites who run an international weapons trade to supply the U.S.’ unrepentant killing culture. What is the core wisdom conspiracy theories hinder but can be known even by “little ones?” It is that a very real conspiracy is happening all around us, all the time, hidden in plain sight and perpetrated by rulers. It is their vast systems of supremacy, capitalism, and killing. Of late, MAGA quibble over the latest divisive minutiae that hinders our call to change the system of rulers. We need to change the system of supremacy hiding in plain sight: of Trump/GOP white male supremacists with liberal assistants who conspire against human rights, equality, racial harmony, democracy, against competency reviews in judicial appointments and fair elections, against asylum seekers and immigrants. We need to change the system of capitalism hiding in plain sight: of Trump/GOP plunderers with liberal assistants who conspire against Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, vaccines, and child nutrition and protection programs, against corporate accountability and oversight on retirement funds, on banks and on drug companies; against fair housing and fair labor practices, employee and disability benefits all of which lets Wall Street once again plunder Main Street. We need to change the system of killing hiding in plain sight: of Trump/GOP killers with liberal assistants who conspire against peacemaking, cease fire agreements, and the regulation of weapons; against science, against protection from poisons polluting our air and water including animal and nuclear waste. We are prohibited from changing these conspiracies hidden in plain sight by the flurry of conspiracy minutiae devised by rulers. Rulers use lies, untruths, partial truths, innuendo, speculation, disinformation, enemy making, and more that cause division and set the conspiracy theorists on their wild goose chases. All the while rulers, many of whom the conspiracy theorists have put into office, hide their supremacy, capitalism, and killing in plain sight. When will we see it?
“Who abides this hidden in plain sight truth… I cannot abstain, cannot avert my eyes to what I see, and the catastrophe that has already begun… Warnings met with ambivalence, too much to lose for most.… make reality dull and boring, and people just focus on their lots… too invested in greed… as new roads of self-interest open… I wish I could turn it off, not see what I see, but alas I cannot, and so in witness I believe the truth be told, and if perchance others can see… we can avert the strife already created and reverse this dark hold on reality.” (Hidden in Plain Sight Truth – Tony DeLorger)
Prayer: Spirit, inspire us for wisdom and truth.
Question: How can I be wise and truthful about all the harm hidden in plain sight?
July 05, 2020 Gospel Matthew 11:25-30 Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time