Jeremiah wants to conserve trust in the earthly War Lords who invented the heavenly War Lord, Yahweh, “Blessed is the one who trusts in Yahweh.” Jeremiah wants to dispel trust in the people, “Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings.” Jesus blesses the people War Lords curse, “Blessed are you who are poor… hungry… weeping.” Jesus does not curse Yahweh nor any human being. He speaks the truth that it is other human beings, mostly rulers, who have cursed those who are poor, hungry, weeping into their condition, “Woe to you who are rich… to you who are filled now.”
Do people exist in dehumanizing conditions because other people curse them to live in such conditions? How is it possible that in this nation that calls itself Christian there is such dehumanization of our family in Christ? We can be dedicated to blessing the lives of people who are cursed, to healing their condition with the resources, food, joys, and so much more due all human beings. How do we best do so? Is it the case in the U.S. that a particular political party, the Democratic Party, is similarly dedicated and is the best avenue to healing people’s dehumanized condition? Democrats, also referred to as Liberals, receive the trust of people who are attracted to Jesus’ witness. Liberalism does espouse unity amidst diversity (e.g. gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation). Can Liberalism really dedicate itself to Communion though given the Democratic Party’s dedication to wealth (tax cuts to the rich, maintaining an unlivable wage)? Liberalism does espouse compassionate financial endeavors (e.g. Child Tax Credit, reform of wages, affordable housing). Can Liberalism ever really dedicate itself to Love though given the Democratic Party’s dedication to capitalism (market based finances, distributing the people’s money upwards)? Liberalism does espouse better health care for people (e.g. Medicare, Affordable Care Act, science-based). Can Liberalism ever really dedicate itself to Creative Healing Power though given its dedication to the wealth class’ capitalist Big Pharma and Big War industries? It is helpful to consider if trust in Liberalism is trust in a political party that is, at best, an intermittent reformer of suffering. Liberalism ultimately conserves this empire’s wealth class, its enslaving capitalist financial structure, and its violence industries. Liberalism can be trusted to act as a weak, apologetic, but ever so useful front and even punching bag for the GOP Conserver Party that acts as a forceful, unapologetic, and ever so harmful curse to humanity. Conserver elites, who act as false populists, along with Liberal elites, who act as true corporatists, can be trusted to form a non-elected managerial if not dictatorial class that curses people and hinders democracy. Liberalism manipulates people into being content with compliant reform when peaceful revolution is our mission. The term Liberalism is considered coined by John Locke (1632-1704). He defined it as a party of free men, not tied to a trade or to enslavement. Locke, in verbal arguments , said that each man has the right to life, liberty and property and governments must not violate these rights. In practice, however, Liberalism was seeking to extend the rights of the royal slaveholding class to include its emerging managerial slaveholding class, also male and white. Liberalism did originally and still does violate the rights of individuals who are poor, women, and Black. Liberalism maintains the system of people existing in dehumanizing conditions of poverty, hunger, and sadness because other people who are rich, filled, and comfortable curse them to live in such conditions. The suffering of human beings in our world is objectively real. There is no reason to trust in a Liberal party to periodically reform suffering. Let us trust in each other to heal suffering.
“You’ve got to watch out for moving into a world where you don’t think there’s any objective reality, where there’s only you. … I want to tell you to live in the messy world, throw yourself into the convulsion of the world. … Not just to endure it, not just to suffer it, not just to pass through it, but to live in it. … And if you ask me why you should bother to do that, I could only tell you that the grave’s a fine and private place, but none I think do there embrace. Nor do they sing there… or touch their children. And that’s what there is to do and get at it while you can.” (Commencement 1975 – Joan Didion)
Prayer: Spirit, fill us with a passionate mission to heal
Question: How have I accommodated to slight reform rather than radical transformation?
February 13, 2022 Gospel Luke 6:17-26 Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time