Making Room for Unity, Dignity, Mercy and Compassion
In today’s cultural and political landscapes, is there room to talk about unity, dignity, mercy and compassion? Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde turned to just these words in her sermon at Service of Prayer for the Nation earlier this year.
Budde’s message at Washington National Cathedral sought to underscore universal values shared by most world religions over the politics of hate and division.
“We have gathered this morning to pray for unity as a people and a nation,” she said, “not for agreement, political or otherwise, but for the kind of unity that fosters community across diversity and division, a unity that serves the common good. … It is not conformity. It is not victory. It is not polite weariness or passivity born of exhaustion. Unity is not partisan.
“Rather, unity is a way of being with one another that encompasses and respects our differences, that teaches us to hold multiple perspectives and life experiences as valid and worthy of respect, that enables us in our communities and in the halls of power to genuinely care for one another, even when we disagree.”
Budde’s call for respect has its roots in Christian theology, and in the Baptismal Covenant that links Episcopalians and Anglicans around the world. The Baptismal Covenant connects believers with the ancient Christian tradition, calls us to strive for justice and peace among all people and to respect the dignity of every human being.
So the bishop’s plea to President Donald Trump was extraordinary, but quite ordinary, in terms of our church’s values.
She said, “I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away, and that you 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 all once strangers in this land.” Bishop Budde also raised the concerns of many gay, lesbian and trans individuals who are apprehensive about what policies of the new administration might mean for their lives.
Hailed across the country for her calm but ringing words that are at the core of Christian action, Bishop Budde reflects the values of Episcopalians as far away as the National Cathedral and as close as your neighborhood parish. Unity, dignity, mercy and compassion, alongside kindness, love and care for neighbors no matter who they are – these virtues are words we all can use, and actions we all can strive to take.