Jesus tells disciples, “I have come to light a fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already ablaze.”
Jesus lights a fire of love as do disciples. Such love blazes wild, spreading to Samaritans, those who are poor, lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors and so many more. It challenges imperialists, of Rome, throughout history, and those of this U.S. Empire. Empires and the imperialists who support them control existence as a jail and make life hellish. Imperialists will tolerate prisoners having slight differences so long as they do not challenge their rule. To tolerate is generally defined as putting up with something or somebody unpleasant. The word tolerate originates in the permission granted by a sovereign to recognize the right of private judgments in matters of public worship. Old Testament War Lords such as Moses and David were not tolerant. They did not grant such permission. Having invented a mirror-image deity, Yahweh, they demanded uniformity of worship. People control by these rulers found it difficult to love – Samaritans, those who are poor, ill, wayward. Constantine is regarded as advancing civilization through his Edict of Milan. Though a War Lord like Moses and David, Constantine’s Edict granted toleration for the private worship of alternative deities in public. It cannot be regarded, however, that humanity has lived free since then. We are not free of empire’s control. We are not fully free to love – gays, Muslims, asylum seekers, those who are poor, ill, wayward. It is because imperialism still prioritizes the worship of rulers. It is no surprise then that we will find people who worship modern day Moseses and Davids, dominating and flawed rulers who are not tolerant. It helps explain people’s worship of Donald Trump. His followers say they love him and his cohort deities. They want to return to a time of greater control, a time that demanded uniformity of worship. They are crating a hellish existence, lacking toleration, and certainly lacking a blaze of love. It is no surprise either then that we will find people who worship modern day Constantines, tolerant rulers who we imagine call us to our more civilized selves. It helps explain people’s devotion to Libertarians, Republicans, Democrats, and Democratic Socialists. Followers may say they love the leaders of these political parties. We may experience greater toleration but again, no blaze of love. Whichever group we follow, we are rather like Orpheus who loves Eurydice though she has died and dwells in Hades. Orpheus desires to bring his love back to life. He journeys to Hades to woo the ruling gods of hell believing he can wrestle love, Eurydice, from their domain. But the gods are in control and therefore no matter the courage or leadership of Orpheus, love cannot be brought forth from their domain. For the gods of rule know not love. When we rule, we are not ablaze with love but frozen with control. We are cold and detached, having removed ourselves from that which is wild – the blaze of love. It is as Dante writes of hell, not a blaze but a glacier, “underneath my feet a lake, with frozen surface… Blue pinch’d and shrin’d in ice… that emperor, who sways the realm of sorrow, is mid breast in ice.” As we tolerate rulers and empire’s unloving ice-cold conditions, we are not ablaze. But being ablaze is our mission. We therefore do not enter hell to take love back. Rather, we enter hell to bring to that domain the blaze of love.
Some know the frozen hellish conditions of empire here in this world. In particular, in its jails. Jail is crafted as hellish by ice-cold gods of rule. Yet, some bring to that domain a blaze of love. They are the lovers like Tanya Erzen in God in Captivity: The Rise of Faith-Based Prison Ministries in the Age of Mass Incarceration. She and others are undoing jail projects like Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship. It did not so much bring a blaze of love in Christ as it brought a citizen’s obedience to rulers being trained to tolerate empire’s hellish control. The blaze of love is also brought by those who belong to Bethany Ministry and go into the jails to love those imprisoned. The blaze of love is brought by Shameka Parrish Wright and others who belong to The Bail Project, one of many groups overturning the cash bail injustice system. We need more such people entering the hell of empire’s ice-cold prisons to bring to that domain the blaze of love.
Prayer: Spirit, in you we burn with a blaze of love.
Question: What is my fire of love and who are the ice-cold rulers I am called to melt?
August 14, 2022 Gospel Luke 12:49-53 Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time