“Jesus said to disciples, “The Spirit… will glorify me, (to) take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine.”
The concept of the Trinity, which includes making Jesus God, is developed over time by ruling patriarchs. The author of John’s Gospel, which is today’s reading for the Feast of the Trinity, is one of the first ruling patriarchs attempting to develop the concept. He thus makes Jesus speak in uncharacteristic words to legitimize the concept, for example, today’s reading. The author may be doing so to guarantee Jesus has authority, but, more practically, to guarantee ruling patriarchs institutionalizing Jesus have authority. When church patriarchs assign Jesus a role in Divinity, they assign themselves a role in mediating Jesus’ Divinity. They furthermore assign people the role of glorifying an other-worldly figure. The Trinitarian concept thus marks the end of people’s conscientious authority on this earth to be fully human. Positional roles for rule, heavenly and earthly, necessarily diminish conscientious authority to be human. Role comes from the French and refers to the “roll of paper on which the actor’s part was written.” Gods have been given their role to play. It is the role written for them by the ruling patriarchs who invent them. Historically, under the one religion of Militarism that rules humanity, the role of gods is to Divinize the role of rulers, usually War Lords (warrior/priests). So it is that Militarism’s denomination of Hinduism starts with Brahmin, the War Lord who first practiced human sacrifice and invented his mirror image War Lord deity Shiva. In a repetition of Hinduism, Militarism’s Judaism starts with Abraham, the War Lord who first practiced human sacrifice and invented his mirror image War Lord deity, Yahweh (Gen 14:14-24). Militarism’s Islam is yet another repetition, most especially of Judaism, repeating Abraham’s role through Muhammad and repeating Yahweh’s role through Allah. As each culture’s War Lord class writes a role for its projected heavenly image, it also writes a role for its subjugated human family. Thus, Shiva/Brahmins rule untouchables, Yahweh/Chosen rule unchosen, and Allah/Muslims rule infidels. The long historical tradition of conforming to religious roles of rulers and those they rule is discontinued by Jesus of Nazareth. He is not a War Lord. His life witness is not to glorify a deity so as to rule like one, nor to dehumanize people. In Jesus, people experienced a greater freedom to be human. Where religious roles end, human vocations begin. Vocation too comes from the French and refers to “a calling.” It is each human being living fully. Not subjugated to role confinement by rulers but being in creative communion with our true self and that of other human beings. Being human is not anyone else writing a role for us. It is not us, or others, living a ‘part’ of who we are. It is each of us living the whole of who we are. In the U.S., Congressional rulers are currently conducting hearings on the January 6th riots. They may hold accountable certain rulers who crafted a role for their subjugated minions who then acted it out. It was a role lacking in conscience, lacking in authority. Being held accountable for their role does not mean our dehumanizing people who played out the subjugated role rulers wrote for them, specifically Trump. Rulers write subjugated roles such as MAGA-member, liberal, taxpayer, citizen, patriarchal prostitute, Wall Street debtor, Imperialist soldier? Our dehumanization, at least into roles, is a story line too long repeated. We stand within a great challenge; will we be human? Will we respect others as human?
“Our gifts are granted us in order to change the world Not continue the order of its mundane spin We are interpreters of the language of beauty and ingenuity We weave expression and imagination into what’s tangible and visible… Bringing light and clarity… We are the very children of non-conformity Living proof that acquiescence and conventionality stifle the human spirit.” (John Lawless)
Prayer: Spirit of Love, energize us to live fully our humanity.
Question: What is the role I play and who is the ruler for whom I act it out?
June 12, 2022 Gospel John 16:12-15 Trinity