John of Patmos uses the symbol of a lamb in his Revelation writings. He describes a gathering of peaceful people, “a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue (who) stood before… the lamb… who will shepherd them” John is borrowing the lamb symbol from Jesus who uses it to describe his peaceful People’s Movement, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
Lambs are peaceful animals, gentle and intelligent. They express emotions, for example, when isolated or stressed, and when feeling content. Lambs are social creatures yet also have distinct, individual personalities. Those who farm lambs into sheep can do so for their milk and wool without killing them. Unfortunately, many lambs, which are sheep under the age of 1 year, are farmed for export. Their primary destinations are the Middle East and Africa. There, often while still conscious, they are slaughtered in blood sacrifice rituals by adherents of the religion of Militarism. Militarism is the ancient and still ongoing religion that sanctifies the ritual slaughter of living beings. The religion’s most persistent practice of ritual slaughter is of human beings on the battlefield. Militarism farms human ‘lambs’ – tender young boys mostly. The boys could be allowed to be the peaceful creatures they are, gentle and intelligent. Instead they are trained to be soldiers. They too are exported. Their primary destinations are also usually the Middle East and Africa. Most soldiers likely do their best to remain peaceful, gentle and intelligent. But once inside the cult of Militarism such a witness is difficult. Militarism is proudly violent, abusive and obedient. Soldiers thus struggle to be in ‘the great peaceful multitude, which no one can count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue who follow the lamb.’ Instead of living as lambs, soldiers are trained in the ritual slaughter of lambs. Soldiers use a euphemism when they perform the ritual slaughter of innocent life – collateral damage – the people slaughtered by soldiers unintentionally. But soldiers intend the ritual slaughter of innocent life in their military campaigns and calculate it. Soldiers in suits and soldiers in fatigues calculated it in their ritual slaughter of 14 innocent people in Mosul and 460,000 innocent Iraqis. They calculated it in their ritual slaughter of 10 innocent children in Kabul and 241,000 innocent Afghanis. Soldiers in suits claim collateral damage in their ritual slaughter of millions of innocent people in poverty, women especially. Capitalism assures women are denied basic food and shelter, underpaying women in their jobs and denying social support when women try to secure those needs. Militarists calculate collateral damage in their ritual slaughter of innocent human life in abortion. Patriarchy’s Planned Parenthood assures women they have only themselves to blame for not aborting the baby. How dare women presume to make taxpayers fund their food and shelter, and underpaying jobs and need for childcare and social support. Militarism’s ritual of slaughter of innocent human life influences us all to be an entire nation of soldiers, obedient in the ritual slaughter of lambs. Starting on this Mothers Day, what if in every barracks we placed not women to join men in the ritual slaughter of innocent life, but instead placed mothers to teach soldiers to birth life and placed babies to teach soldiers to nurture life?
“Whenever I would see (my teacher) he would say, ‘Hafiz, How did you ever become a pregnant woman?’ I could only reply, ‘Dear One, you must be speaking the truth, but what you say is a mystery to me.” My teacher went on, “I can clearly see God has made love with you and the whole universe is germinating in your womb and such wonder and such enlightenment will take birth from you.” (Hafiz)
Prayer: Spirit, call forth our life-giving power.
Question: How can I live, and help others to live, gentle lives as Mothers giving birth to and nurturing a world of tender children?
May 8, 2022 Gospel John 10:27-30 Fourth Sunday of Easter