“We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us.”
-- New York State Catholic Conference of Bishops
Is nothing sacred?
One of the distinctions theology and religion draws in viewing the world is between the sacred and the profane. Between that which is holy and beautiful and divine and that which is base, indecent, and disrespectful. When we try our best to live in the presence of the sacred, we recognize the inherent worth of all that is made by God.
To live aware of the sacred teaches humans to move through this life honoring the dignity of all, declaring that all humans matter, in large part, because each of us is created in the image of God. But to live aware of or even in the thrall of the profane teaches humans to, instead, move through this life uncaring, even mocking humans and the human condition. Living within a profane worldview encourages humans to believe that some children of God are in fact, unworthy, less than, and therefore easy to treat with contempt, disrespect, and even hatred.
The sacred or the profane? It’s an ethical and spiritual choice we make every day. Will we choose to look up at the stars in the heavens with awe or instead, will we spend our time down in the mud on the earth, viewing life with cynical derision? Mocking even, that which is clearly holy and sacred?
When the President chose recently to post an AI generated image of himself as if he were the pope and did so within days of Pope Francis’ death, it made me think, “Now that’s profane.” But not really surprising, given that when asked by a reporter who he thought should be the new pope, he, of course, replied, “Me.”
Funny, huh? A laugh riot!
Of course, folks in the President’s camp were quick to defend him, rationalizing his mean-spirited behavior and middle school humor by essentially saying, “Hey—can’t you take a joke? He was only kidding.” But the damage was already done and the “Insulter in Chief” had once again demonstrated that either he is completely tone deaf and lacks any mercy when it comes to the feelings of other people, institutions, and beliefs or (and this is even scarier), he actually believes that he would make a good pope.
As a person of faith, as one who grew up in the Roman Catholic tradition, I get why so many Catholics were hurt and insulted by this mocking of a holy office and in a larger sense, of a holy faith and people. Though I left the Catholic Church for another faith tradition many years ago, I remember still, how much the pope was and still is held in high esteem and love by his followers. How that office of Saint Peter, in place on earth for more than 2,000 years, is held as sacred, and not just by Catholics but by millions of other Christians, millions in other faiths, even by many of no faith.
And yet, one who wields more power, perhaps, than almost any other secular or religious office on earth…that person intentionally chose to put down, to deride, and to ridicule someone who embodies for so many, goodness, and the spirit of God on earth. And that just breaks my heart, so disappoints me. I’m sad not just for my Catholic friends and family members, but for any of us who hope and expect so much more out of the President of the United States. And that goes for whoever sits in the Oval Office: Democrat or Republican, Catholic or Protestant or Jew or Muslim. You see, some of us who love our country still actually believe in the human virtues of simple decency, honor, respect, and care. And we expect our leaders to embody these essential moral ideals for living.
But I guess that is just too much for us to hope for in these strange days that we are living in. Days when the line between the sacred and the profane seems to be up for grabs, perhaps even being erased, removed, or obliterated, and all for a bad joke.
Is nothing sacred?
The sacred still matters in this world. I believe with all my heart that there are still sacred ideas, sacred beliefs, and sacred institutions that try their best to reflect the goodness of God on earth, like the pope just deceased, Francis, and the newly elected, Pope Leo. Religion does not always succeed as it should and yet, I thank God, that faith keeps trying to keep the faith. And people keep trying to respect the sacred.
Do not mock us, Mr. President. Do not mock us.
(The views expressed in this essay do not necessarily reflect the views of the people and church I serve nor the United Church of Christ.)
The Reverend John F. Hudson is Senior Pastor of the Pilgrim Church, United Church of Christ, in Sherborn, Massachusetts (pilgrimsherborn.org). He blogs at sherbornpastor.blogspot.com and is a resident scholar at the Collegeville Institute at Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. For twenty-five years he was a columnist whose essays appeared in newspapers throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island. He has served churches in New England since 1989. For comments, please be in touch: pastorjohn@pilgrimsherborn.org.
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