Jeremiah laments his plight as a prophet, but hopes in the Lord’s violence of the sword against enemies to save him, “the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion… O LORD of hosts… let me witness the vengeance you take on” my enemies. Paul laments all humanity’s plight judging us as sinners, but hopes in his champion Lord’s violence of the cross against Jesus to save us, “how much more did the grace of God and his gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ’s (death) overflow for the many.”
The saving grace of a violent champion Lord is on display in the U.S.’ Old Testament and Paul based MAGA cult. A recent example was the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) at the White House. A small controversy was some media companies calling the men, ‘cage fighters.’ Doing so was criticized as dehumanizing the men as animals. Participants prefer the title Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). People tend to have a favorable or perhaps trained respect for the word, Martial. Yet nothing is more dehumanizing and animalistic than Martial. Martial means war-like. It’s derived from the Roman God of War, Mars. Mars raped a Vestal Virgin who gave birth to two sons taken from her and raised by wolves, with one brother later killing the other as the means to establish military order in Rome. Mixed Marial Arts is a relatively new form of gladiator violence. Few longitudinal studies on its harm to the men have been done, but have been done on its predecessors in Kickboxing. Participants in the gladiator violence suffer Martial/war-like violence to their brains. For example, immediate concussions as well as cumulative damage from the brain being repeatedly twisted inside the skull from head strikes. The strikes damage the hypothalamus, the brain’s core guidance system, and thus the pituitary gland that controls essential body functions like reproduction. An ironic consequence of men engaging in what they laud as a hyper-masculine activity is their testicles fail to produce the testosterone and sperm needed for fertility. Participants in the gladiator violence also suffer Martial/war-like violence to their ethics. It’s not unusual for fighters to appear in public with Nazi insignia on their clothing or inked to their skin in tattoos. The ethics of the fight itself allows an MMA fighter to inflict strikes called “ground and pound,” delivering a rush of strikes to their opponent after they’ve fallen. A fallen competitor can quit a fight by “tapping out.” It means they lose the contest, diminishing their reputation and earnings. Participants vow to never “tap out,” even if it kills them. MAGA churches across the U.S. are aligning with the violence of MMA. It’s a means whereby they draw men to their congregations. Some MAGA churches train men in MMA, host gatherings at the church to view televised fights, or go on trips to attend fights. Male congregants are wearing apparel from MMA clothing companies, one of which is titled, ‘Jesus Didn’t Tap.’ Childhood trauma, usually domestic violence at the hands of their father, is often the cause of a man participating in and glorifying violence, like men in MMA. As trauma from strikes to their body physically harm these men and strikes to their humanity spiritually harm these men, trauma from their strikes to Jesus’ Way harms all of us.
It can be called mental illness or a lie or perhaps evil to link a bloodied violent MAGA fighter whose hand is taken and raised in victory by this era’s Caesar with Jesus – especially given today’s Gospel in which Jesus rejects Jeremiah’s and Paul’s violent Lord. Jesus asks us, men especially, to know; “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your dear Abba’s knowledge.” “Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” We’re not called to get in the cage with MAGA. We’re called to care for each fallen sparrow.
Prayer: Beautiful Spirit, help us love people who don’t know they’re fallen sparrows.
Question: On this Father’s Day, how am I loving the men in my life?
June 21, 2026 Gospel Matthew 10:26-33 Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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