“The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.”

William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

Who knew that mercy would be such a hot topic? And, who knew that a request for mercy could lead to such anger and outrage?

The past week has held a lot of news coverage and commentary over the remarks of The Right Rev. Marriann Budde during her sermon that was part of an inaugural prayer service, in which she spoke directly to the President to offer a plea for mercy for those in this country “who are scared now”— gays, lesbians, transgender folk, laborers, asylum seekers, etc. The newly sworn-in President has demanded an apology. A senator from Ohio declared that the remarks were an “insult to all of us who came to this country the right way.” And a representative from Georgia said that Bishop Budde should be added to the deportation list.

Among the many problems embedded in this odd episode are two very big ones. First, for a political party that so often claims to be aligned with conservative Christians, how can a plea for mercy garner such scathing hostility? The second problem is an alarming lack of awareness of the role of the clergy, especially when clergy speak from the pulpit. Again, for a political party that claims to hold dear basic Christian tenets, with a leader that once stood in front of a church defiantly holding a Holy Bible, how can there be such disregard for the sacred role of ordained preachers?

Mr. Trump and his buddies don’t need to agree with this particular clergyperson. They don’t need to heed her advice or her plea. But when they are sitting in that church during a worship service, they ought to respect the office and the pastoral role, recognizing that Christian clergy are called to speak— in love, in hope, in authenticity, after careful study and prayer, without fear, all the while grounded in scripture. Christian clergy are not beholden to political parties or those in positions of political power. A clergyperson’s authority comes from a higher source, as we mere mortals attempt to discern through the lens of faith. While clergy ought to be respectful of the community to which they speak (the powerful, the not powerful, and everyone in between), and it seems clear enough that Bishop Budde was respectful and measured in the direct plea that she made, it’s a grave mistake for anyone to expect clergy to bow to the intentions and attitudes of the audience/congregation, even those in high elected office. In fact, political leaders should appreciate that clergy are often called to challenge and to hold up patterns and policies that are lacking in justice. It’s what Jesus did, time and time again.

In a service of ordination, clergy are generally (to my understanding) called to make certain promises regarding their vocation. Among those promises: the continued study of holy scripture; the preaching of the Good News; and prayerful attention to the needs of the congregation, the community and the wider world. For those of us bold and/or foolish enough to follow the call to ordained ministry, preaching is a sobering and weighty undertaking. That the current President and his allies fail to comprehend that role, and that call, is a sad commentary on how they view the Christian faith in general.

It’s especially concerning that the criticism of Bishop Budde is so focused on her plea for mercy. It turns out that mercy is a big Bible kind of word. It’s mentioned a bunch of times— “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7); “ For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13); “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Those are just a few of many examples.

Mercy is almost always cast as a sort of double blessing, as the Bible and Shakespeare have noted, that to show mercy is to receive mercy. Mercy offers its own kind of special grace, giving just as much, if not more, in the giving than in the receiving. It’s too bad that this situation has been met with such vitriol. While the President may feel those who elected him expect certain policies to be put into place, a bit of mercy would be a good thing— for everyone. After all, isn’t that what Mr. Trump is claiming he experienced on that July day in Butler, Pennsylvania? If that was a moment of divine grace and mercy that dropped from heaven, Mr. Trump should be more obviously offering at least a bit of mercy in response.