Readings for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Jeremiah 19:5-8; Psalm 1:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15: 12, 16-20; Luke 6: 17, 20-26
This Sunday's readings reject the anti-DEI, anti-Wokeness memes of what Marianne Williamson calls the Trump/Musk power couple.
The selected texts remind us that the natural order is one of diversity, universal love, and complete inclusion (DEI) that prioritizes the needs of women, children, immigrants, and former slaves. As we'll see, the tradition is outspokenly anti-rich and demands reparations.
The readings also suggest the truth recognized in all major faith traditions that awakening to such reality (rather than remaining asleep) is the whole point of the human project aimed at transcending childish egocentrism and ethnocentrism. The point is what our black brothers and sisters call being "woke." Even more, it's to achieve world centrism and ultimately cosmic centrism that understand and respect the unity of all creation.
By contrast, putting oneself first, putting one's country first, idolizing wealth and the power it brings are all condemned in the teachings of Yeshua.
In other words, the Judeo-Christian tradition represented in today's readings roundly rejects the villainizing of DEI and wokeness. Even more, they call Yeshua's followers to a class consciousness and a fundamental option for the world's poor and oppressed against the rich whom Yeshua condemns in no uncertain terms.
Let me show you what I mean in terms of class consciousness and the warfare of the rich against the poor.
Class Warfare
Whereas in the past it might have been possible to argue that we live in a classless society, that is no longer the case. The accession of Donald Trump to the office of president has rendered such argument moot. The man has declared war on the poor.
Think about the brazenness of it all.
I mean, after the display at Trump's inauguration, it is now impossible for anyone to deny that Elon Musk and other billionaires play powerful roles in calling the shots. The shot callers include Donald Trump himself, Musk, Mark Zukerberg, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook of Apple, and Sundar Pichai of Google. All of them were there occupying prominent seats the day that Trump took office. At times it even appears that Elon Musk, the world's richest man, rather than Mr. Trump is our country's president. Our system is undeniably plutocratic.
And what is the basic argument of these people? Simply put, it is that THE RICH DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY, WHILE THE UNDESERVING POOR AND MIDDLE CLASS HAVE TOO MUCH MONEY.
They're convinced that the world's and our country's problems are caused by the poorest people on the planet. Accordingly, we're expected to believe that:
- In a country of 320 million people, 12 to 15 million impoverished, undocumented, hardworking, tax-paying refugees are "invaders" and bringing us all down.
- The U.S. with 4.5% of the world's population (along with its European fellow colonialists) has a God-given right to control the entire planet.
- Those formerly colonized in Latin America, Africa, and Asia should be sanctioned for uniting (e,g,, in BRICS+) to seek non-violent rectification of the colonial system that has impoverished them for more than 500 years.
- The wealthy South African cohorts of their erstwhile countryman, Elon Musk, are now victims of black South Africans who must be sanctioned for treating them unfairly.
- Uniformity, inequity, and exclusion are American and Christian values as opposed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- It's ludicrous to awaken (become woke) to the absurdity of it all.
So let me say that again: All of this (and so much more) provides unmistakable evidence of the wealthy's conviction that THE RICH DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY, WHILE THE POOR HAVE TOO MUCH MONEY.
Think about it a bit further. To increase their money supply, the billionaires want lower taxes, less government regulation of their businesses, and continued subsidies to their corporations maintained or increased. Correspondingly, they want "wasteful" programs like those funding Medicaid, HeadStart, food stamps, and public schooling curtailed or eliminated. Even Social Security is questioned. For the rich, minimum wages are an abomination as are unions and the so-called "right" to collective bargaining. The rich see all such government programs and organizing as wasteful, i.e., as excessively enriching the lives of the undeserving poor.
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