The Greater Condemnation

Matthew 23:14 – “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, for you devour widows’ houses and pray pretentiously long prayers; therefore, you will receive the greater condemnation.”

When I think of devouring widow’s houses, I think of this administration’s desire to take away welfare from people who need it to survive, of their acceptance of gerrymandering away the votes of Black people, of their acceptance of state-sponsored killing of Black people, of their willingness to separate families of refugees crossing our border without any plan to reunite them. I think of their corruption, which we are learning more about each day. Woe to you, Republican leaders, for you devour widows’ houses.

And their pretence of Godliness and holiness while doing these things, and more, is appalling on so many levels. There is no honesty, no truth, no honor, no respect, no empathy, no civility, and no love to be found among them. So, rightly in my opinion, Kirstjen Nielsen was shamed out of eating at a Mexican food restaurant just hours after lying for 45 about family separations at the border. And Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to leave a restaurant whose servers did not want to serve her because of her support for this policy. These non-violent protests of a very violent and trauma-inducing policy that these women support are in keeping with the principles of non-violent action. Any non-violent way we can push back against these policies will make it clear to our Republican leaders that the majority of Americans do not, in fact, support their bigotries and the resulting policies. Woe to you, Republican leaders, for you pray long prayers, yet you crucify Christ with your words and your actions.

They are receiving their reward, as Christ would say: money and power from 45 in exchange for their loyalty as well as condemnation from the rest of the world for their cruel and inhumane policies and actions. Yet, they believe they will go before their god for judgement. They believe they will be shown into heaven rather than asked why they didn’t feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, or visit those in prison. They will be asked why they didn’t love others as themselves. They will be asked why they initiated or supported this zero-tolerance policy for refugees fleeing violence in their home countries. They will be asked why they took away health insurance – and by extension health care – from those who most needed it. They will be asked why they stole money from the poor and gave it to rich people and corporations under the guise of “tax reform.” They will be asked why they support dictators such as Putin and Kim Jong-Un. They will be asked why they crucified Christ again and again.

Maybe we should all ask ourselves why we do the things we do, and how to turn our lives toward love rather than hate. No matter how loving we may be, there is still room to grow in love. Some of us have more growing to do than others, but it is not a competition. We practice loving in community, which implies cooperation. Cooperation is built on love. Anything we do without love in our hearts dies quickly, because love gives our actions meaning. The Beatles were right: all you need is Love.