Jesus tells a story showing how the “Kingdom of God will be like women who took their lamps and went out to meet a bridegroom.” But the bridegroom “was long delayed.” Some women were wise and had brought “flasks of oil.” Others were “foolish” and “brought no oil with them.” The fools demand of the wise, “Give us some of your oil.” “But the wise ones replied, “No.” Subsequently late to the bridegroom’s feast, the fools make a demand of him too, “Open the door for us!” He too says, “No.”
Fools lack thought, certainly forethought. They want what they want and will make demands on others to get their wants. Their wants become absolute, for them. But not for others who are wise and freely say “No” to the fool’s demands. What happens when fools who absolutize their wants force others to satisfy their demands? What happens is rule, slavery, empire. People and society itself are forcibly used by fools to get what they want. Who are the current fools forcing us to make their wants absolute? Primarily it is those who are wealthy, people willing to use or, more likely, people willing to buy force. Also, men, and, in the U.S., those who are white. Also, self-titled Christians. Who are the people the fools forcibly use? The used include those who are poor, women, and people of color, many of whom are not fools but are wise. Like the wise people in Jesus’ story, they keep saying “No” to the demands of fools. Fools thus oppress and criticize the wise. It starts childishly so via name calling; bums, feminazis, ghetto thugs, and gets worse. Fools also criticize and call names of any collective action done by the wise; communists, shrews, terrorists. Fools, specifically the self-titled Christian ones, do not criticize or affix name calling to capitalism or patriarchy or white supremacy – likely because these are the wants fools have absolutized through force. So it is that today’s fools criticize and erroneously affix name calling to collective action that says, “No” to their wants, which includes a white supremacist U.S. Empire. Of late, fools erroneously affix the name calling of ‘Godless Communism’ or ‘Socialism’ or ‘Marxism’ to Critical Race Theory. The theory, however, was not developed by a follower of Marx but instead by a follower of Jesus, Derrick Bell. The fools demonstrate barely minimal thinking in their inability to define terms. Also, they show barely minimal discipleship in their inability to define themselves in Christ. They consistently say “No,” – to Christ. They say “No” to being wise in Christ, to being Christ-like. These fools have absolutized wants in the U.S. kingdom of Caesar and therefore cannot say “Yes” to Jesus’ peaceful Community of God. We who say ‘Yes’ to a peacemaking community, say ‘No’ to self-titled Christians absolutizing plunder, aka capitalism, and rendering people poor; absolutizing domination, aka patriarchy, and rendering women subservient; absolutizing supremacy, aka racism, and rendering people of color subordinate. As peacemakers, we are lighting our lamps with the positive ‘Yes’ energy of moral absolutes like communion, love, and creative healing power. We are saying ‘Yes’ to multiculturalism, interfaith initiatives, political organizing, economic justice, theological questioning, and so much more. Each ‘Yes’ is transformational.
Fools who claim the title ‘Christian,’ are forcing more than their verbal commands over and against people, as did their foolish counterparts in the Gospel. These fools are forcing physical violence over and against the people. These fools have brought extra AK 47’s and AR 15’s but they have not brought extra flasks of communion, love, and creative healing power. After we say “No,” to them, we need to help them say “Yes,” to creating a Community of peacemakers on earth.
Prayer: Spirit of Activism, empower us to keep saying “Yes” to peace.
Question: How can I help people fighting for the U.S. Empire say “No” to it and say “Yes” to co-creating a Community of peacemakers on earth?
November 08, 2020 Gospel Matthew 25:1-13 Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time