Amidst people fawning over the temple’s finery, Jesus speaks of the building’s demise, so too the religion of Militarism that constructs it while destroying people. Religion’s demise is a disturbance to rulers who fight Jesus. Religion’s demise is a curiosity to disciples who question Jesus, “when will this happen?” Jesus cautions, “Many will come in my name, saying ‘The time has come,’” but “Be not deceived,” “Do not follow them!” Jesus is signifying not the end of the world but the end of the religion of Militarism. He is focusing that end around his crucifixion, inflicted by Militarism’s practitioners but also around his budding resurrection. It is the reason why he says, “The present generation will not pass away until all this takes place.” Jesus calls disciples in the aftermath to not fight but to “tend to the fig tree or any tree” “when they are budding.” Jesus’ call is for a loving heart, for the gentle tending of new life that disciples will nourish and help grow.
U.S. Biblical Nationalists, erroneously called Christian Nationalists are members of the religion of Militarism and they are fighting, incessantly. They are not exemplifying a loving heart. They are not showing themselves as gently growing new life, nor as lovingly tending to buds. They are among those to whom Jesus refers when he says, “Many will come in my name,” but “do not follow them.” Self titled Christians use Jesus’ name but to justify fighting. They especially fight Jesus’ Way of communion budding among different ethnicities across this land. Biblical Nationalists are this generation’s fighters planning this generation’s crucifixions. They will claim to fight only sinners, but, under Biblical Nationalism, everyone is a sinner; everyone else. Thus, these fighters support their MAGA man beating up an 82-year-old Paul Pelosi with a hammer and laugh about his suffering. They support MAGA criminals hailing Trump when violently fighting marginalized persons; Blacks, immigrants, Latinos, LGTBQ, Muslims, and really any expressions of communion among difference. A recent MAGA Oath Keepers data leak revealed that hundreds of its members fighting against communion, are law enforcement and military. This is replicated by MAGA Proud Boys and MAGA Three Percenters whose law enforcement members publicly display white supremacist communications and paraphernalia in official settings in over a dozen states. Given recent election news, some commentators speak of the demise of Trump and MAGA. “Be not deceived.” Trump and MAGA are part of the religion of Militarism that includes white supremacy and Biblical Nationalism all of which need more focused dissolution because too many people are still ready with hammer and nails. For example, Ron DeSantis. DeSantis is replacing Jesus as a common man with a loving heart and offering himself as a Savior with a fighting posture. It was apparent in his recent election ad, “And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, ‘I need a protector.’ So God made a fighter,” Ron DeSantis. DeSantis fights with health care providers, lying about Florida’s deadly Covid facts, hiding them, and arresting a government worker who published those facts. He fights with immigrants and asylees who he exploits via airplane flights out of Florida. He fights with people violated through racism and transgender prejudice, for example, forbidding truth to be taught in schools though it can guide us toward communion. He fights against peacemakers, for example, his silence about a Jewish student who was beaten up at an Orlando neo-Nazi rally, while he supports white supremacists waving a swastika flag and anti-Semitic slogans the next day, asking through his press secretary, “Do we even know they’re Nazis?” In these behaviors, DeSantis shows he does not carry the loving heart of Jesus within him. The religion of Militarism trains its soldiers, like Ron DeSantis, to fight and thus, like Trump before him, the man is ready for crucifixions. DeSantis and his recruits are not disciples of Jesus who “tend to the trees” as “they are budding.” We can live with a loving heart, for the gentle tending of new life that we will nourish and help grow. We can invite militants like Trump, DeSantis, and their recruits to join us in lovingly “tending to buds.” “The present generation will not pass away until all this takes place.”
“i want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true) and it’s you who are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you, here is the deepest secret… (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars… i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)” (e.e. cummings)
Prayer: Beautiful Spirit, we share a communion of loving hearts.
Question: Who are the buds I need to tend?
November 13, 2022 Gospel Luke 21:5-19 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time