Midwives ‘stand with’ women who are with child. Midwives guide women in bringing beautiful new life to birth. Humanity does not always give witness to the lifegiving spirituality of women, nor to the birthing guidance of midwives. If it did, we would not be grieving Ahmaud Arbery. We would not be imprisoning Travis McMichael.…
Mary is pregnant in difficult times. She embodies the circumstance of so many women across history and across our world. Who will be with Mary through the difficulties? Who will guide her in bringing beautiful new life to birth? Midwives are women who ‘stand with’ pregnant women. Mid is not derived from middle so…
Jesus is forced before Pilate who questions Jesus from a War Lord’s point of view, “Your own nation and chief priests handed you over to me.” But Jesus never belonged to their world; it is the same world as Pilate’s. It is a world of fighting. Jesus rejected it to create a world of…
Ancient War Lords always had a master plan. To sanctify their master plan, they invented mirror image Master War Lords, like Yahweh. So it is that Yahweh is described in today’s Old Testament reading as a “master of might” whose plan is for “mastery over all things.” Jesus has no “master” plan for “mastery.”…
Sunday’s first reading from the Old Testament opens by telling us, “The Lord was pleased to crush him.” What kind of Lord is so pleased? A War Lord. The reading goes on, “If he gives his life as an offering for sin … the will of the Lord will be accomplished.” What Lord’s will…
Authors of the Old Testament portray Hebrews as the chosen people of their God, Yahweh. The chosen people value Yahweh in the same way they value the War Lords who invented him – he is their savior, their protector – as long as they are obedient. How then do authors explain the defeat of…
Sunday’s first reading concerns child sacrifice. Yahweh wants Abraham to murder his young son, Isaac, as a test of faith. Will Abraham offer his son in a blood sacrifice ritual for Yahweh? It turns out that Abraham will. At the last moment, however, Yahweh stops Abraham but commends his willingness to obey the violent…
Jesus’ clearing of the Temple in this Sunday’s Gospel is grossly misinterpreted. Militarists misinterpret it as an act of violence. The misinterpretation allows their religion, Militarism, to maintain its oppressive rule over humanity, our hearts and minds. Militarism has no regard for the peacemaker Jesus of Nazareth. In this misinterpretation and others, they mis-characterize,…
Jesus’ Transfiguration reveals humanity glorified as Divine. The event involved Moses and Elijah. Both men have a previous association with a type of trans-figuring. They are Biblical promoters of Militarism. It is an ancient and still pervasive religion that trans-figured humanity. Militarism’s trans-figuring involved trans-figuring warlords into deities. These trans-figured warriors were then worshiped…