In the month leading up to the war with Iraq and for the year after the war began.

In the month leading up to the war with Iraq and for the year after the war began, I place preaching a bittersweet experience, as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but stressful and challenging.

Many of the Sunday lectionary readings were taken from the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah. a certain quantity of gospel passages focused on the teaching of Jesus and his vision of a just society built onward his new teaching of unconditional be enamoured of of God and neighbour.

In preaching, I moveed to the assembled communities that we consider at the social situation of our rural parts and church through the vigilances of these prophets and ask ourselves, in what way comfortable are we as followers of Jesus, living in the shadow of empire with all its dehumanizing and death-dealing values. We are at war with Iraq, we have escalating militarism and, our rapacious consumerism with its widening destructive drifts is plundering our home planet.

If a certain number of of these prophets were to be existing in our worshiping communities today, what might they say about the satisfy of our preaching and our liturgical prayers? for what cause would they read the signs of our times?

The prophets felt fiercely about injustices. They would stand up and, with fiery words, disturb the acceptance of the status quo If the author of Revelations, banished to Patmos for challenging the Roman Empire, were here today, would he be comfortable with this comfortable alignment of meeting-house and empire? In John's creed Jesus promised that the Spirit of canon would bring persecution.

in a less degree than Jesus or empire

Liturgy in near of the early Christian communities was celebrated as an alternative to the dominant cultivation of empire. Christians saw themselves as a community bottomed in the vision of Jesus rather than the command of Caesar. God's people were to be put apart, not aligned with the dehumanizing forces of empire. Liturgy reminded them that their the father acts in history to liberate the poor and overburdened from domination. Celebrating together give courage toed them to live out their distinctiveness in the face of the formidable power of empire. This the cross subverted Caesar's power.

I raised this question in the homilies. What distinguishes us from those who make no profession of faith in Jesus in our culture? Approximately 80 by cent of the population of the United States is nominally Christian, and more than 140 million persons worship on a regular basis. Shouldn't there be stronger signs of resistance among the Christian churches against the values of empire?

Instead, catalogue of personss indicate that a slight majority of Catholics support Bush in his war with Iraq. persons also indicate that a large section of the Catholic population supports capital punishment, abortion and militarism. Consumerism doesn't on the same level register as one of our social sins. Our ecclesiastical body congregations sing "God Bless America," with gusto. Our liturgical prayers include a prayer for "our troops" on the other hand seldom include prayers for innocent civilians who are killed in a ratio of more than 6 to 1 for each soldier killed. Flags are repeatedly displayed in church sanctuaries. a parishes made prayer cards available with Ronald Reagan's picture in succession it the week he died.

Many Catholics look for liturgy to reinforce their illusions about America's greatness. They carry notions that the deity favours the United States across other nations and peoples, that America is a force for worthy in a holy war against "evil-doers," that we are a "light onward a hill" for the quiet of the world.

In Catholic churches, do we point not at home that the massive build-up of militarism is taking standard of value away from needed housing, health care, education of our children? Many of our somewhat old have to choose daily between medicine and victuals and 44 million are without health care. Enormous tax breaks are given to the rich instead of aid to struggling poor families. by what mode might the Prophets view these injustices that hoot out to the heavens? My perception is that they would speak abroad fiercely against these dehumanizing death-dealing aspects of our cultivation and urge us to interrupt "business as usual."

Parishioners resist the unmasking of illusion

Many parishioners, instead of resisting the policies of empire, favour homilies that reinforce the myths of empire. They don't like hearing facts like: the United States is the number united exporter of arms in the world; that as a superpower we are also the world's super consumers; we are 5 by cent of the world population, consuming almost 40 for cent of the world's resources and 24 through cent of its energy; we are the number single in kind polluter in the world.

They disapprove the notion that the United States is last forward the list of 28 industrialized nations in giving foreign aid to poorer nations. Parishioners resist the unmasking of our illusions about ourselves. They give stronger witness to "patriotism" than to prophecy. A form of "patriotism that has mutated into "nationalism." My abiding habitation right or wrong.

The prophets warned that the biblical the deity is against the worship of all idols and that the creator does not favor one nation over another. The biblical the infinite is aligned with the powerless. The prophets remind us that the biblical the omnipotent can be dangerous and subversive when the cries of the treat cruellyed are raised from the earth. The biblical divinity is jealous, and will act in ways the same doesn't expect to topple idols. Amos vehemently warned that God detests arrogance and the abuse of power. These are sins that bring down kings and their empires. Aren't these the sins behind many of our national policies?