Not this year.
One could tell where things were headed when
The president then shook hands with only half of those at the head table, apparently because House Speaker
The co-chairs of the 2020 breakfast, Rep.
When it was
Here's the thing about reconciliation. It has a power that is the antithesis of political power, which in reality is no power at all. If the person who believes he, or she, has been wronged by another reaches out and offers forgiveness, it can have the effect of disarming the other person and lowering the political and personal temperature.
Since Jesus is at the center of this annual event, the president should consider what He said on the subject of loving one's enemies: "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? (Matthew 5:43-48).
Lest someone think this is only a Christian ideal, consider Proverbs 25:21-22: "If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For you will heap burning coals on his head. And the Lord will reward you."
In his remarks, Brooks said if people can't sincerely practice forgiveness and reconciliation, they should "fake it." His point was that reconciliation has a power all its own, even if one initially is not sincere about it.
Perhaps it is time to suspend this annual event, or to hold it without this president attending if he can't accept the nonpartisan theme that has been its tradition for nearly seven decades. He clearly missed a grand opportunity. It would have cost him nothing to shake Speaker Pelosi's hand and in doing so he might have heaped coals of fire upon her head if she did not respond in kind.
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( Cal Thomas' latest is book "America's Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires and Superpowers . . . and the Future of the United States." Buy it by clicking HERE or order in KINDLE edition at a 48% discount by clicking HERE. Sales help fund JWR.)
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Cal Thomas, America's most-syndicated columnist, is the author of 10 books.