On The Road Together Reflection for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
With considerable courage, Bishop Budde took the pulpit at the Episcopal National Cathedral in Washington DC this past week, addressing the crowd there at an interfaith service marking the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States of America. Her words stunned the audience as she named vulnerable populations threatened by the new administration’s policies, and pleaded for mercy on their behalf. The air in the Cathedral was electrified with tension as she directly engaged the newly elected President in what she clearly understood to be a challenge to his vision of the way power and authority should be exercised, and on whose behalf. She did not claim to speak on God’s authority, but rather simply as a qualified person trying to interpret the Gospel and how the Gospel calls for witness and response to a vision of a nation and justice that is quite contrary. Her action was filled with risks and has generated considerable controversy about Christian social responsibility, and more broadly, the role of religion in public life, as is not surprising for a society so polarized. But she allowed herself to trust that the Holy Spirit was with her, inspiring her humble and bold plea on behalf of the most vulnerable. And while surprised by both the vitriolic criticism and substantial praise, she has expressed her willingness to accept the consequences of her public appeal for mercy.
It is hard to miss the resonance between the moment she faced, her discernment about what she felt God had placed in her heart to do, and the moment that Jesus takes up the Scripture from Isaiah in the Synagogue, addressing the crowd there as he inaugurates his ministry of both words and deeds. Jesus understood that the people lived in anticipation of a messiah who would save them from the oppressing Roman occupation and restore the former glory of Israel. He also knew that he was not the Messiah that those in positions of formal authority and power were expecting. Like the prophets who preceded him, his focus was on “the little ones” with no voice, and on reforming the practice of faith away from the legalistic observance codes of sacrifice and purity, and back to a faith oriented toward the practice of love and justice for the marginalized. Jesus understood that this public address would set a tone for the rest of his public life, and that it would potentially divide the audience into those who would follow, and those who would resent, resist, and seek to sabotage him.

But while Jesus knew the potential consequences of his message, it was not his intention to divide the crowd. His purpose and motive was to testify to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in his heart, which inclined him toward a preferential love for the poor and marginalized. Jesus’ intention was to offer hope and encouragement, and to make a promise to those who would follow him that their needs, their concerns, their longings and desires, were his priority, just as they are his Father’s priority. This clarity of purpose allowed him to have the indifference or spiritual freedom he needed to follow through on his purpose without giving in to the fear of rejection or resistance. And so, as he reads these words from the prophet Isaiah, he announces the hope filled good news of the Kingdom of God, and “lets the chips fall where they may.” In other words, Jesus also gives people the freedom to choose how they respond and he accepts the consequences.
What do we make of these examples as we discern how to take up our voices, not as messiahs, but as leaders with responsibility to serve the common good, and in our discipleship of Jesus, to follow his example of the preferential option on behalf of those who are poor? Do we have sufficient inner freedom in our relationship with the powers that be to follow our conscience and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? This freedom comes when we have so clarified our purpose that we are motivated by neither self-righteousness, nor fearful compliance, a purpose rooted in the love of God and love for God’s people.
We exist in such times that we will very likely see more and more abuse of power in service of those who are already rich and in control of the political and financial systems in which we live and labor. How are we called to respond? Among us are diverse interpretations of what the Gospel means, and how our Christianity should be observed. Without seeking further division, how do we exercise discernment and find a path forward together that pursues truth and goodness, justice and mercy, which heals and reconciles, repairs the breaches, and creates harmony inclusive of our great diversity? How do we stay true to the heart of Jesus, and faithful to his Gospel, rather than any distorted vision that does not serve his Kingdom?
With you on the road and in prayer,