A Sunday Thought About Our New President to Start the Week Off Right
Now that Donald Trump has been inaugurated as the new President of the United States, let's consider how we Catholics might regard this man as he occupies the highest political office in our country.
First, as we do even for our enemies, we pray for him. That should go without saying. It doesn't matter what you think of him or anyone else in this world. We're all sinners; we all need God's grace if we hope to do anything good with our lives. Trump is no exception.
Next, we avoid thinking of Mr. Trump as either hero or villain. Those who consider Trump a villain - who see his election as the end of the world as they knew it - have gotten most of the media coverage since the election. We've all seen and heard their hand-wringing, their whining, their calls for protest, their claims that his Presidency will unleash the forces of darkness in our country. Some go so far as to claim his Presidency is "illegitimate." All of this is nonsense, of course; malicious nonsense in many cases, but nonsense none the less. It's spewed by people who are either misguided, or who want to manipulate the gullible so that they can increase their own power and influence. (Politics really is a dirty game.)
As for those who hold up the "hero" Trump, do we really have to point out how silly and possibly dangerous that is? Having grown up in the New York metro area all my life, I've witnessed Donald Trump's career. Although I don't know him personally, clearly he's a man of business who's had his successes and failures. Yes, he's an outlandish self-promoter and media hound too. Over time, you get the sense that he's rather capricious, capable of contradicting himself sometimes from one moment to the next, shooting from the hip when the spirit moves him one way, then another. He's certainly not one to champion high ideals (despite his "Make America great again" mantra) as opposed to Ronald Reagan, to whom Trump is sometimes compared. That's just "the Donald."; don't expect him to change now. If you had told me even five years ago he'd be President of the U.S., I'd likely have rolled my eyes. President? But here he is, in all his Trump-ness, holding the highest political office in the land. Who knew? Anyway, while he may be an astute business man (his book The Art of the Deal illustrates his now-famous ability to negotiate), he's no hero. And there's no guarantee that his business acumen will translate into an effective Presidency. Then again, it might. It's simply time to wait and see.
One last point about the "hero" side: Of the Catholics I know who take their faith seriously, many, if not most, rejoiced when Trump was elected. To the extent that their joy expressed relief that Hilary Clinton was defeated, the ensuing celebration was understandable. Some, however, took a leap into the "Trump as Savior" camp. Such a position can't be justified, indeed shouldn't, as it betrays a kind of yearning for a Great Dictator to solve all our problems and make our troubles go away. The only source of our salvation, as if it needs to be said, is Jesus Christ. And the only manner in which our troubles will ever "go away" is through: 1) a collective turning of the minds and hearts of the American people back to the moral foundations upon which the country was based; 2) as individuals, our complete, unadulterated trust in God, which includes an understanding that He has a plan which we endorse daily as we pray, "Thy will be done."
Perhaps these simply but utterly profound words from St. Francis de Sales will help here. They certainly express a true Catholic outlook on life that applies to each of us, in every state and stage of life, no matter who the President of the United States might happen to be:
I for one will keep these words handy and do my best to adhere to the wisdom of the great and holy St. Francis de Sales.
Wishing you all a happy and blessed Sunday!
First, as we do even for our enemies, we pray for him. That should go without saying. It doesn't matter what you think of him or anyone else in this world. We're all sinners; we all need God's grace if we hope to do anything good with our lives. Trump is no exception.
Next, we avoid thinking of Mr. Trump as either hero or villain. Those who consider Trump a villain - who see his election as the end of the world as they knew it - have gotten most of the media coverage since the election. We've all seen and heard their hand-wringing, their whining, their calls for protest, their claims that his Presidency will unleash the forces of darkness in our country. Some go so far as to claim his Presidency is "illegitimate." All of this is nonsense, of course; malicious nonsense in many cases, but nonsense none the less. It's spewed by people who are either misguided, or who want to manipulate the gullible so that they can increase their own power and influence. (Politics really is a dirty game.)
As for those who hold up the "hero" Trump, do we really have to point out how silly and possibly dangerous that is? Having grown up in the New York metro area all my life, I've witnessed Donald Trump's career. Although I don't know him personally, clearly he's a man of business who's had his successes and failures. Yes, he's an outlandish self-promoter and media hound too. Over time, you get the sense that he's rather capricious, capable of contradicting himself sometimes from one moment to the next, shooting from the hip when the spirit moves him one way, then another. He's certainly not one to champion high ideals (despite his "Make America great again" mantra) as opposed to Ronald Reagan, to whom Trump is sometimes compared. That's just "the Donald."; don't expect him to change now. If you had told me even five years ago he'd be President of the U.S., I'd likely have rolled my eyes. President? But here he is, in all his Trump-ness, holding the highest political office in the land. Who knew? Anyway, while he may be an astute business man (his book The Art of the Deal illustrates his now-famous ability to negotiate), he's no hero. And there's no guarantee that his business acumen will translate into an effective Presidency. Then again, it might. It's simply time to wait and see.
One last point about the "hero" side: Of the Catholics I know who take their faith seriously, many, if not most, rejoiced when Trump was elected. To the extent that their joy expressed relief that Hilary Clinton was defeated, the ensuing celebration was understandable. Some, however, took a leap into the "Trump as Savior" camp. Such a position can't be justified, indeed shouldn't, as it betrays a kind of yearning for a Great Dictator to solve all our problems and make our troubles go away. The only source of our salvation, as if it needs to be said, is Jesus Christ. And the only manner in which our troubles will ever "go away" is through: 1) a collective turning of the minds and hearts of the American people back to the moral foundations upon which the country was based; 2) as individuals, our complete, unadulterated trust in God, which includes an understanding that He has a plan which we endorse daily as we pray, "Thy will be done."
Perhaps these simply but utterly profound words from St. Francis de Sales will help here. They certainly express a true Catholic outlook on life that applies to each of us, in every state and stage of life, no matter who the President of the United States might happen to be:
“Trust the past to the mercy of God,
the present to His love,
the future to His Providence.”
I for one will keep these words handy and do my best to adhere to the wisdom of the great and holy St. Francis de Sales.
Wishing you all a happy and blessed Sunday!
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