Power & Mercy
If you’re looking for an example of courage, look no further than Bishop Mariann Budde’s sermon from Washington National Cathedral at this week’s Service of Prayer for the Nation, held the day after President Trump’s inauguration. At the conclusion of a powerful sermon where she called on each of us to remember the dignity of every human being, including our political opponents, she turned to the President to give voice to the fears of many millions of people whose lives could be changed in the weeks and years to come.
She spoke of a core Christian practice: mercy.
What does it mean for Bishop Budde, the pastor of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, to speak of mercy? To address a head of state and speak of mercy is to overtly acknowledge the power they hold, and to humbly appeal to them to use that power wisely, graciously, and with an awareness of the humanity of every being.
It’s not surprise that it didn’t sit well with those in the front row…it wasn’t supposed to. They squirmed and mugged for the camera. A colleague of mine wrote, “you could almost see the Vice President “composing a strongly worded email from his pew.” The president himself responded with a social post that, to my mind – if one could ignore the danger created by his words, was really kind of boring. Far from a powerful rebuke, it was the same phrase that clergy for time immemorial have heard when they dared to disrupt the comfortable peace of familiar worship with words of prophecy and challenge.
In speaking words of mercy and reminding us all that mercy is an essential part of God’s nature, Bishop Budde named and acknowledged – respectfully and gracefully – the power that the president really does hold, that he has been given. But mercy requires that one who holds power remember the humanity and vulnerability of those who are now fearful, from LGBTQ+ persons to those facing deportation. These were not policy instructions so much a reminder of the compassion and humanity that must inform those decisions.
As Bishop Budde’s powerful words continue to resonate in the air, we see that power without mercy is grounded on something other than providence.
I will continue to pray for the president, and I hope that Bishop Budde’s call to remember the dignity and humanity of all God’s children will have an impact on President Trump and inform his leadership. Whether or not they do, her words are a powerful witness that cannot be unsaid, and will be a plumb line by which history will judge this president and the movement that brought him to power.
Faithfully,

The Very Rev. Bernard J. Owens