In a Washington Post article, “Trump Swiftly Deals ‘Death Blow’ to DEI, written by Julian Mark, Taylor Telford, and Susan Svrluga, we read how trump is swiftly destroying all affirmative action policies the United States has had for at least 50 years. The following is the post I wrote in Facebook this morning (Jan 24, 2025).
“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” (Mark 8:36)
One of the three temptations that Jesus faces in the Gospels, is that of world power and domination. Jesus quickly dismisses that temptation. In the person of donald trump, who sold his soul to the devil as a young man, we find a person totally incapable of understanding these words of Jesus, and, if he actually had the intelligence to understand what Jesus said, would reject Jesus as quickly as he rejects all the goodness that is part of the United States.
Fr. Henri Nouwen, in the introduction to his final book, “Our Greatest Treasure”, a book about human death, writes about celebrating his 60th birthday with the men and women of L’Arche Daybreak Community (L’Arche Daybreak Community, Canada, is an interfaith community of men and women of varying physical and intellectual disabilities founded by Jean Vanier). Nouwen, pastor of the community, was being told by many that he looked much younger than 60 years old, that is, except by one resident, Bill, who said, “Henri, you’re an old man.” Henri realized the truth in Bill’s statement. He wrote that it dawned upon him that the number of years ahead of him were far fewer than the years behind him. Nouwen would die from a major coronary at the age of 64 years old.
trump is a little man who foolishly thinks he has all sorts of power. trump is 78 years old. He is an “old man.” He fails to realize that he is at an age in which his lifetime of poor choices, especially his fast food diet and choice of beverage, can end his life instantly by a heart attack or stroke. He also fails to realize that the choices he is making right now can prompt a desperate, angry man or woman, or for that matter, world leader, to end his life in a violent manner. Short of being locked in a sealed room in the bowels of the White House and never stepping out into public, trump is vulnerable to violent attack. All the Secret Service in the world cannot protect him.
At the end of his miserable life, God will scrutinize his life’s choices. God will ask him the the very questions by which we, as human beings, will by judged by God. He will be asked by God, “Have you clothed the naked? Have you given drink to those who are thirsting? Have you provided shelter to the homeless? Have you welcomed the stranger and the immigrant? Have you given aid and medical care to the sick? Have you visited those in prison?”
Notice that cheating business partners, cheating those who did work for him, sexually molesting and raping women, stealing, committing adultery, stealing government secrets, trying to overthrow our government, denying care to those most in need, and licking the soles of wealthy donors, in other words, the only things that trump has done in life, are not included in God’s assessment of trump.
For those familiar with the Last Judgment scene from Matthew’s Gospel, those who have not cared for others but have been sinfully self-absorbed and selfish in life are cast into Hell for eternity.
This brings us back to the quote that began this brief essay, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” (Mark 8:36)
trump, as Fr. Henri Nouwen wisely realized with the help of his developmentally disabled friend, Bill, the number of years ahead for you are far, far, far fewer than those behind you. You only have a few years at most, or perhaps, only a few precious moments left to live. What you do now, and how you will use the time that God has allotted you to live, will determine how you will spend eternity. If you continue to use your position of power to make life Hell on earth for the poor, the elderly, the immigrant, and vulnerable, God will give you for eternity, the Hell you created for all people in this life.
