“Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’.” Matt. 9:13
“To be united in a country with so many riches of diversity, we need mercy. We need compassion. We need empathy. And rather than list that as a broad category, as you heard me say, I decided to make an appeal to the president.”
Those are the words of Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde in response to president Trump insisting that she apologize to him for publicly pleading with him to show mercy to various marginalized Americans and non-documented immigrants. Now, as Orthodox, we do not accept women serving as bishops, but that is the reality in the Episcopal Church in America. And we may disagree on theological/religious grounds on the sexual choices and lifestyles of certain fellow citizens. But a clear plea for mercy rings absolutely true with the teaching of Christ and the entire Gospel message.
I saw and heard the portion of her sermon when she made this appeal: “Millions have put their trust in you. And as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.” It is difficult to live in fear – or even uncertainty – for your future. Hence, the plea for mercy towards the “other.” We have to admit that Budde was quite bold in speaking straight to the president sitting right in front of her in the Washington National Cathedral. It seems as if that is the right “place” to basically quote Jesus and raise the issue of mercy and compassion. The tone was not at all “nasty” as president Trump claimed. It was bold, but the tone was also rather humble, as in an appeal not an aggressive demand.
Be that as it may, I also agree with her assessment of non-documented immigrants in America. There is no evidence whatsoever, that there are “millions and millions” (how many millions?) of undocumented immigrants who are criminals, unleashed upon America from asylums and prisons. There is no data to support that claim. Rather, in her words: “The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals, they – they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors.” There is really nothing to apologize for in those words in defense of “millions and millions”(?) of hard-working people trying to make a good life for themselves and their families.
Regardless of where one may stand on the issues raised in this now controversial sermon I, for one, admire the courage of Bishop Butte to preach the Gospel of mercy and compassion to those at the highest level of power. I wish that other bishops would join her in reminding our nation that mercy and compassion remain meaningful virtues that, if embraced, would lift us up on the moral and ethical level. At our best, that is the American way. Why must one apologize for that?