It would be entirely acceptable, to me at least, if every member of the clergy, regardless of the faith tradition they follow, would repeat the words of Bishop Marian Budde at the National Prayer Breakfast sermon on the occasion of President Trump’s accession to office. It is almost beyond belief that members of Congress, many of whom avow an affinity for Christianity if not necessarily the teaching of Jesus Christ, are sponsoring a legislative action condemning her words, apparently because they offended the bible-selling huckster they’ve chosen to follow. For the record, here is the concluding portion of the Bishop’s homily and there is a link to the whole sermon at the end.
“Let me make one final plea, Mr President. Millions have put their trust in you. 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. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families who fear for their lives.
And the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in our poultry farms and meat-packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shift in hospitals – they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes, and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches, mosques and synagogues, gurdwara, and temples.
Have mercy, Mr President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. Help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were once strangers in this land.
May God grant us all the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, speak the truth in love, and walk humbly with one another and our God, for the good of all the people of this nation and the world.
The Right Rev Mariann Edgar Budde is the Episcopal bishop of Washington
This article was amended on 26 January 2025. Owing to an incorrect transcript version supplied to us, an earlier version of this article was not a verbatim representation of Bishop Budde’s sermon. This has been corrected.”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/24/bishop-mariann-edgar-budde-sermon-that-enraged-donald-trump?CMP=share_btn_url
This should not be paywalled.
Intelligent, compassionate and full of common sense--thus decidedly out of fashion. The Moron Majority is off to the races.
She merely speaks the truth. Jesus would kick all the panderers out.