The Old Testament reading recalls a flood experience, lasting 40 days. Its authors believed an ancient Lord, sparing Noah, justifiably waged war against life itself and “destroyed all mortal beings.” The Old Testament then shows war being continually waged by believers in the Lord; Moses, Joshua, David, and the like. The Gospel reading recalls a desert experience, also lasting 40 days in which Jesus expresses peace when tempted by “Satan.” Its authors believe Jesus created peace with people and healed mortal beings. The New Testament then shows peace being continually shared by believers in Jesus.
Unfortunately, Jesus’ peacemaking is ignored by most self titled Christian Biblical scholars. Instead, anchored in the Old Testament, they falsely fabricate of the desert story an eternal war between Jesus and Satan and thus all they judge evil. For centuries such scholars have offered theoretical discussions of and ultimately theological justification for ‘destroying mortal beings’ in ongoing wars. Centuries of willfully ignoring Jesus’ peacemaking has consequentially resulted in willfully promoting ‘Christian’ warmaking. The U.S., while claiming to be a Christian nation, acts like an empire, it is incessantly at war. Waging war has captured the imagination, the values, and the ethical philosophy of the average Christian living in the U.S. The U.S. has waged a war on crime, a war on poverty, a war on drugs, a war on cancer, a war on terror, a war on science, and even a war on Christmas. The U.S. has also waged war on 84 of the 193 nations in existence and been militarily involved with 191 of them. The U.S. culture wages its domestic wars and its foreign wars because people are persuaded to believe that war is the holiest of actions, fought by the holiest of Lords. Persons in the U.S. are thus ruled by a Commander in Chief, robbed by a bloated Pentagon budget, and made unholy from the blood sacrifice practiced by soldiers. We die in all manner of warfare as a consequence, and across our tombstones is engraved ‘collateral damage.’ It is thus no surprise that U.S. ‘Christianity’ finds itself in its current predicament. In a U.S. warrior Empire that has waged a Cold War and is currently waging a culture war, there are millions of self-titled Christians starting a new Civil War. These wayward warriors are not ignorant of war. But they are ignorant of their role in it. They are convinced they are the Moses, Joshua, and David of their time; freedom fighters, holy, warmaking heroes. But these ‘Christians’ are not heroes of war. They are prisoners of war. They are held captive by a War Lord deity and a warfare theology. They acquiesce to being prisoners of war in this Empire of modern day Caesars where war is continually justified. Lest they make all of us prisoners of war, we can give up war for Lent and for Life. We can give up war in our own hearts, in our gaming purchases, in our T.V. and movie selections, and in our political support. We can give up war as a socially justified behavior and as a national identity propagandized as necessary. If we do not give up war for Lent and for Life, War Lords and their wars will “destroy all mortal beings.”
“Let us not remain mired in theoretical discussions, but touch the wounded flesh of the victims. Let us look once more at all those civilians whose killing was considered “collateral damage.” Let us ask the victims themselves. Let us think of the refugees and displaced, those who suffered the effects of atomic radiation or chemical attacks, the mothers who lost their children, and the boys and girls maimed or deprived of their childhood. Let us hear the true stories of these victims of violence, look at reality through their eyes, and listen with an open heart to the stories they tell. In this way, we will be able to grasp the abyss of evil at the heart of war. Nor will it trouble us to be deemed naive for choosing peace.” (#261) (Fratelli Tutti – Jorge Bergoglio/Pope Francis)
Prayer: Spirit, we take up peacemaking.
Question: How am I tempted toward being a warmaker and what will I do to remain a peacemaker?
February 21, 2021 Gospel Mark 1:12-15 First Sunday of Lent