“I let myself be duped,” acknowledges Jeremiah in the first reading. He knows who duped him, “You duped me O Lord.” Being duped by Lords, earthly ones who invent heavenly ones, is unfortunately rather common. Jesus in the Gospel is therefore educating disciples about Lords and not to be duped by them, “Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed.” Always, the Lords, who plan suffering and violence against disobedient Christs, will dupe soldiers into killing Christ Jesus. Always they will dupe common people into supporting the law and order system that justifies soldiers killing Christs.
The U.S. recently turned 244 years old and its Lords have been duping U.S. soldiers into killing Christs for much of that time. The duping has more recently been done in Vietnam, Nicaragua, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and of course Iraq since 1990. Cue bin Laden duping 17 Saudis into killing 3,000 Christs in the U.S. in 2001. U.S. Lords have duped U.S. soldiers into killing Christs in 80 nations ever since. Lords dupe U.S. soldiers and their supporters into believing that by dominating, inflicting suffering, and by killing Christs, they are establishing law and order across the world and keeping people in the U.S. safe. In truth, Lords have duped and used their supplicant soldiers as a mercenary force to gain personal plunder. Neither the world nor the U.S. is safe, but Lords of Boeing, Raytheon, Chevron, etc… are indeed amassing plunder. U.S. Lords make use of ads to dupe potential soldiers. A recent one shows a young soldier in uniform speaking to an off-camera listener, “I want to be a part of something bigger than myself.” Their uniform becomes street clothes and the listener their parent, “So mom, what do you think?” Apparently wanting to be a peacemaker not duped by Lords is not big enough. Peacemaker Bart de Ligt thought it was big enough (1883-1938). He encouraged others to be peacemakers when Germany’s Lords of law and order started duping people into being a part of something bigger, Nazi Germany. Nazi Lords praised their soldiers as Christ-like while they killed peaceful Christ-like protestors whom they called anarchists. Presently, U.S. Lords of law and order, using the enticement of being a part of something bigger, MAGA, are praising U.S. soldiers and police as Christ-like while they kill U.S. peacemakers whom they call anarchists. Like the Nazis, U.S. Lords and their duped soldiers and police, For example, killing their black and brown brothers and sisters for centuries. The call goes out for Law and Order. Is the call from Adolph Hitler or Donald Trump?; “The streets of our country are in turmoil… filled with students rebelling and rioting! Communists are seeking to destroy our country! Our republic is in danger, yes, danger from within and without! WE NEED LAW AND ORDER!” Is it those duped by Hitler or by Trump who are pulling people off the streets, inflicting suffering on them, and killing them in abroad and at home in the name of law and order? How could we have been so duped as to not know the killing would come home?
“Give him his soldier’s crown… Let the great bells toll Till the clashing air is dim… Let him never guess What work we sent him to. Laurel, laurel, yes. He did what we (duped) him do. Praise, and never a whispered hint but the fight he fought was good; Never a word that the blood on his sword was his country’s own heart’s-blood… Let him never dream that his bullet’s scream went wide of its island mark, Home to the heart of his darling land where she stumbled and sinned in the dark.” (William Vaughn Moody)
Prayer: Spirit of Peace, keep us wise about Lords and all those duped by them.
Question: How does law and order dupe me into compliance to rulers?
August 30, 2020 Gospel Matthew 16:21-27 Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time