I begin this Corner with a needed alhaigian caveat: These are the thoughts and opinions of a sometimes struggling, doubting Thomas Catholic. However, I do believe in the power of prayer; I pray several times daily. And I do seek Gods favor. But deep-down in my innermost being bottom line I think prayer should be an effort to change my life to align with Gods will rather than an attempt to get God to change his mind and do things my way.
We in America believe that God has blessed our nation from sea to shining sea. But does God intervene directly in the history of the United States of America and change its course, even to the point of favoring a GOP candidate for president?
God has been in the secular news a lot lately in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former president Donald J. Trump, who credits divine intervention with saving his life.
If the Republican Party reclaims the White House come November, will it be because God is on the GOPs side as evidenced by Donald Trumps turning his head just a bit at the right moment, so he was only grazed and bloodied by a would-be assassins bullet at an outdoor rally on July 13?
In an interview with the New York Post on the Sunday following the attempt, Trump said: Im not supposed to be here, Im supposed to be dead. By luck or by God, many people are saying its by God, Im still here.
Earlier, in a Truth Social post, he had written: It was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening. We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness.
(An aside question here, which I havent really heard an answer for. Why was Trump spared and one innocent, heroic man shot dead and two others seriously wounded? Would God allow that?)
As if Trumps own ego wouldnt be enough to convince him that he is one of Gods anointed, two heavy-hitting Christians have weighed in on God stepping in to save his life: the Rev. Franklin Graham, president and CEO, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.
Graham covered a lot of Trump bases in a 6-minute prayer (speech?) at the Republican National Convention that ended with a referral to his own Jesus Christ, King of King, Lord of Lords. While Im a little wary of what sort of gatherings especially those that are patriotic or political in nature should make reference to the Almighty, Im OK with a reference to God or a Creator. But a specific reference to his hand of protection on a particular person bothers me, as does bringing in the name of Jesus. Might there be some Jews or Muslims in the audience praying to their God, who is monotheistic but not trinitarian?
For Noems weighing in, see her Speakout The favorite of heaven in Mondays Register (July 22). She tells of an American Indian chief who speaks of the man who is the particular favorite of Heaven and who can never die in battle. (H)e will become the chief of nations. That man was our nations first chief executive: George Washington, then a colonel in the British forces in the French and Indian Wars which preceded our own Revolutionary War.
While God protected our first presidents life, he also protected former president Trumps life.
She also lets the reader know that God has a plan for you and for me. He has a plan for our nation. Theres more: a reference to the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah and a belief that, If we have faith and work to advance freedom, God will continue to bless the United States of America.
We in the United States could be called a prayerful people. We bring Gods name into many a gathering: personal, public, political, when we are not really there in his name. We run into problems when we try to bring our religious beliefs into a setting where not everyone shares our beliefs and where religious belief is not required to participate.
As we gather in Jesus name, amen. No, were not gathering in Jesus name. Its Memorial Day: Were gathering to honor those men and women who while serving in uniform gave their lives for their country. Or Veterans Day: we gather to pay tribute to all those men and women who served their nation in uniform in peace or war.
Now Im not saying you cant offer a prayer at gatherings such as those cited above. I do silently within especially on Memorial Day each year as I remember two men who won the Medal of Honor posthumously for aiding comrades on the battlefield in Vietnam. I suspect other Catholics, Protestants, Muslims and Jews may be offering prayers silently in their hearts. Maybe atheists honor the fallen with memories of their noble deeds and service.
I know an opening (invocation) and closing (convocation) at many gatherings here in America are traditionally part of the program. I have no problem with that: a generic God-prayer offered in keeping with the occasion would be OK.
And what about prayer in public schools: whose Supreme Being should we pray to? Were a Christian (or maybe Judeo-Christian) nation, arent we? Shouldnt prayer in school reflect that? But what about Muslims and non-believers?
Now were looking at posting the Ten Commandments in public schools. Theyre in The Jewish Bible and in the Old Testaments of Catholic and Protestant Bibles. There are differences between the three, subtle perhaps; so which translation gets used. And what about the Koran?
Do we Americans expect God to take our side in our human doings?
Were doing our part in it and well win because were on Gods side. Those words were spoken by Pvt. Joe Louis, United States Army, during World War II. We did win. Were we on Gods side? Maybe. But while American forces were defeating the Wehrmacht in Western Europe, the godless hordes of the Red Army were beating the Germans in Eastern Europe. As French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte had said about a century-and-a-half earlier, God is on the side with the biggest battalions.
Have a nice day. And be nice to God. Give him a day off.
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