Dignity, Honesty, and Humility Would Be Charming

In Which I Say Many Things About the Homily of Mariann Edgar Budde

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Well, goodness. I am of two minds today. On one side is the death of Cecile Richards at age 67 from a brain tumor. The news broke on Monday, at a time when I, along with millions of other people, was already glued to my device. On the other side is the bit of the homily delivered yesterday by Mariann Edgar Budde at a service of prayer in the National Cathedral. Here’s the clip that all the fuss is about:

I got some of the quotes from the internet, not wanting to transcribe them myself. Here’s one:

I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives.

And here’s another:

… and the people, the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings who labor and poultry farms and meat packing plants who wash the dishes.

I went and watched the whole thing. It’s about nine minutes long. Mariann Edgar Budde, who is The Episcopal Church’s bishop of Washington, feels that the only way for Unity to be achieved as a nation is through the practice of respecting the dignity of every human person, through honesty, and through humility. These three, she explains in somber tones, will go some way to healing the culture of contempt that she believes threatens American life. The homily concludes with a vague allusion to Micah 6:8—walk humbly with our God. A sort of gloating triumph seems to hang heavy in the air as she speaks. As President Trump and his family leave a reporter calls out across the cold, “What did you think of the sermon?” Mr. Trump turns and asks, “What did you think? Did you like it?” The answer is muffled and Mr. Trump shakes his head. It didn’t, in other words, seem to be a hit.

I have so many thoughts. Best, probably, if I number them.