The Old Testament writes that through the warrior Jacob, the War Lord Yahweh, “has delivered his people,” who will exalt at the head of nations.” “I guide them; I will lead” them and the people will walk in his way. The New Testament reading says “every high priest” offers blood “sacrifices for sins.” He “must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people” who walk in his way. In the Gospel, a blind man, Bartimaeus, asks Jesus to heal him. Jesus does so. After He heals Bartimaeus, Jesus says to him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.’ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on The Way.”
Warriors and priests, both of whom exalt in blood sacrifices, coerce people to walk in their rut of deadliness. Soldiers exalt in blood sacrifice for War Lord masters in Russia, China, and the U.S., Chevron, Halliburton, and Titan, Jerusalem, Mecca, and the Vatican. The Vatican, for example, exalts in blood sacrifices across the world’s nations and corporations. In the U.S., the soldier priest who is a master at such sanctifying is Timothy Broglio. Broglio is Archbishop of the Archdiocese of the Military Services. Recently, this Catholic War Lord advised the other Catholic soldiers he masters to not get vaccinated. No soldier “should be forced to receive a COVID-19 vaccine if it would violate the sanctity of his or her conscience.” Soldier priest Broglio has walked so very long in the Warlord’s rut that he proves himself blind to walking Jesus’ Way. Soldiers, including Broglio, can see and follow the Warlord’s rut of compliance to rank but are blind to walking Jesus’ Way of conscientious communion with all. They can see and follow the War Lord’s rut of cruelties against other tribes but are blind to walking Jesus’ Way of loving your enemy. They can see and follow the War Lord’s rut of killing but are blind to walking Jesus’ Way of healing. Walking in the War Lord’s rut of compliance and cruelty and killing, means soldiers will exult over the recent blood sacrifice of 10 Afghan bodies, 7 of them children. If they do not exult, they will at least remain silent, as Warlord Broglio has remained silent. Broglio has said nothing about conscience in this matter of dead children. For him, it is a matter of routine compliance and cruelty and killing. Reports surface routinely of soldiers killing civilians, for it happens routinely and will continue to happen routinely. Soldiers in fatigues and soldiers in suits, some of whom wear a collar, like Broglio, who see and follow the Warlord’s rut, will keep us all blind. They will tell us to blindly ‘exult’ the soldiers’ and to blindly let them ‘offer blood sacrifices.’ And we will keep our blind faith in War Lords, believing their killing ‘has saved us.’ Broglio is a Judas. He betrays Christ. Broglio, like Judas, is blind to the great plotting of the warrior class that has innocent people like Jesus, Afghan children, and you and I in their crosshairs. We can instead be like Bartimeaus who calls out to Jesus, the healer, “to see.” In response we will be told, Take courage, get up, a peacemaker is calling you to follow him on The Way.’ We can walk away from the War Lords, from the deadly rut they make us trod. We can put down our weapons and walk away.
“If poetry could tell it backwards, true, begin that moment shrapnel scythed you to the stinking mud… but you get up, amazed, watch bad blood run upwards from the slime into its wounds; see lines and lines of… boys rewind back to their trenches, kiss the photographs from home – mothers, sweethearts, sisters, younger brothers, not entering the story now to die and die and die… You walk away. You walk away; drop your gun like all your mates do too… (And walk away) (Last Post – Carol Ann Duffy)
Prayer: Spirit, we walk on the Way of peace.
Question: How can I walk less in War Lords’ rut and more on a peaceful Way?
October 24, 2021 Gospel Mark 10:46-52 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time