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Now, to our subject.
Today’s essay is an Op-Ed. The great glory of old age is you can think what you want, read what you want and write what you want. This long series on Christology and the Current Crisis is what I want to spend my time and limited mental energy.
I think Jesus wants us to do more than follow the people/party prone to disliking the people we mostly dislike. Please don’t tell me you don’t know what I mean.
Journalism is now not much other than advocacy, wherein the talking heads on one channel damn the GOP, while equally empty heads on a second channel show the “knuckleheads” from the other party. Politicians scarcely do more than stir up hatred and fear among us. Big Money rules the day.
During Our Lord’s short earthly life religious political parties stirred up hatred and fear. The Romans ruled the day; they killed whom they wished and terrorized the rest. Big Money ruled the day.
Jesus spent His time preaching Truth to power. He demonstrated the love of God for the Lazarus people, who could not eat or live inside or have decent medical care. He railed against the Big Money religious parties. He was so indifferent to earthly power He refused to spar with them when His own life was on the line.
What would Jesus do today?
Jesus would teach us to think. We do not have to check our intellect at the door of the Church. We can have faith and pursue knowledge.
Jordan Peterson is right, I think, when he opines that most of us do not think much. We mostly just listen for someone to agree with our narrative and then agree with them.
If Jesus wanted power, all He had to do was accept the license of the religious powers of His day. Or, for more power, He could have simply preached Rome Our Home Right or Wrong. His fortune would have been made. Crowds would have followed Him; for all the wrong reasons.
Jesus would not do it. We should not listen for the familiar voice preaching the narrative we want to hear.
Try this test. When you hear someone striving to make a point, check what you feel emotionally. If their tone or tempo or tongue make you angry or anxious or anything else, take one step back and consider their words rather than your own feelings. Why are you angry or anxious or inflamed? Is this what the speaker wants?l Is this what you want? What does it say abut the speaker or about you if this is the goal of the discourse?
Our whole culture should probably take a step back, suck in a big breath and look at how we feel. Those who would manipulate us for their benefit may find it more difficult to “play us” if we won’t get in their game.
I think Jesus wants us to learn to think. If you already know how to think, use your thinking ability to see through deceit.