“When Jesus was born” “in the days of King Herod, behold, Magi from the east” inquired, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled.” “Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.” After their audience with the king they set out” and “were overjoyed” when “they saw the child with Mary his mother.” After the Magi’s visit, they did not “return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.”
Herod is a ruler. He rules his personal domain, using women for his own pleasure, assaulting them and sexually abusing them as he wants. He rules his political domain, dehumanizing people into subordinate stereotypes to attain greater status, insulting and denigrating minorities, immigrants, people who are disabled as he wants. He rules his capitalist domain, using worth-less workers to make him more wealthy because he and his culture believe he is justified in using them to gain capital. He rules his theological domain, using images of God that are violent and joining forces with and using people who also treat violence as godly. Everyone knows what sort of man he is, what type of ruler he is. Even strangers know he is diminished of conscience, of character, of conduct that is moral and want nothing more to do with him. They will depart from him for another way. Who believes such a ruler’s words, who imagines that such a ruler is a man of the people, and that he appreciates goodness? Is the believer in such a ruler a person who is also diminished of conscience, of character, of conduct that is moral? Perhaps. Is the believer a person who has been abused? Quite likely. Sometimes people who are abused see their support of their abusers as a survival tactic. The abused believe as they ingratiate themselves with the abusive ruler, for example, identifying with their hate of a common enemy, the abuser will not abuse them but only that common enemy. Of course, the abused person is mistaken. Rulers will abuse whom they want. Abused people do not understand rulers have devised an entire social system that coerces people to be abused; politically subordinated, financially used, and theologically violated. Abused people can become Magi, Wise Ones. It requires we not denigrate the ruler, instead, humanize the abused. Use the abused person’s own words to ask questions that require them to think critically, for themselves. Critical thinking begins with two simple steps. First, ask the abused inobtrusive fact questions. When we do that we interrupt the person’s focus on feelings or beliefs and shift them toward thinking. For example, ‘Who said that?,’ ‘Tell me again the facts of what happened?,’ ‘Where did you read that?,’ and the like. Second, ask them to translate what they told you, ‘How is that significant?,’ ‘Can you rephrase / summarize that for me?,’ ‘What would be the meaningfulness of that for me, and the like. Often, without realizing it, they depart the land of believing in rulers for another way, thinking for themselves.
“When apocryphal bedlam spreads its crazy pinions Fake news holds court in the newspaper’s Dominion Incessant lies convert to self-righteous ‘truth’ in print I light a fire with a fact check stone flint Surely I respect pluralism and free speech for everyone… But when evil misinformation threatens valid certitude… what can I do… (I) Cannot compete though with the glitzy giant liars’ den I won’t bow to how the big shots misinform and cheat (I) Challenge crude populism… (and) Will not be handcuffed or straightjacketed within my narration Honesty holds virtue.” (Kai Michael Neumann)
Prayer: Beautiful Spirit, Keep me loving and true
Question: Am I keeping my distance from abused people and why? If not, how am I engaging with them to help them think for themselves?
January 05, 2025 Gospel Matthew 2:1-12 The Epiphany of Jesus