As President Trump spews forth conspiracy theories about his failed re-election campaign, he seems unaware that he still has a day job. He’s still on the payroll, and the job involves much more than swiping his Sharpie across a flurry of presidential pardons.
It’s his right, of course, to pardon anyone. Arguably, he might even be able to pardon himself, though that might put him in an interesting position of admitting guilt. That might not play well if he decides to run for president in 2024.
All presidents have used their prerogative to issue pardons. It’s presumably part of the constitution’s checks and balances, a way of rectifying injustice.
But Trump takes it to an extreme. He sees it, to invoke a word from 2019, as pure quid pro quo. Meanwhile, the coronavirus continues its vicious devastation. Thousands of people are dying every day. In between rounds of golf or contemplating pardons for his family, the President neglects the millions who are unemployed, and the hundreds of thousands who have died. Pardon me but that is inexcusable.
In Advent, God’s people are called to contemplate the pardon God offers. There’s no quid pro quo. Instead, it is a gracious word of relief. “Comfort my people,” comes the cry of God to Isaiah. The depth of Israel’s sin is inexcusable, but greater still is the offer of grace. It calls forth repentance and leads to new life.
Comments