The Economy of Mercy
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“Compassion is not religious business, it is human business. It is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability. It is essential for human survival.” —The Dalai Lama
As the government shutdown stretches on—now the longest in U.S. history—a cruel contradiction hangs in the air: tax cuts for billionaires continue without pause, while healthcare for millions hangs in the balance.
Republican leaders claim Democrats are obstructing a resolution. But the data tell a different story. The so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” extended generous tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy, yet failed to include the premium tax credits that make healthcare possible for tens of millions. Now, Senate Democrats are drawing a moral line. They refuse to fund a government that breaks its promise to its people.
And the people are with them.
Seventy-eight percent of Americans—Democrats, Republicans, and Independents—support restoring these tax credits. They understand what’s at stake. This isn’t about ideology. It’s about survival: for children, for seniors, for single mothers, for neighbors with chronic illness, for every person who relies on the Affordable Care Act to live.
In Hebrew, the word for compassion is rachamim, rooted in rechem, meaning womb. True compassion is not passive pity; it is a womb-like posture toward one another. It shelters. It protects. It sustains life. It is mercy made tangible, a sacred recognition that we belong to one another.
Across spiritual traditions, the call is clear: there is a divine bias toward the vulnerable. The Hebrew prophets proclaim a God who hears the cries of the poor. Jesus healed the sick and rebuked those who hoarded power. The Qur’an charges us to care for the orphan and the widow. The Buddha teaches that compassion without action is incomplete. And the Dalai Lama reminds us: “True compassion is not just an emotional response but a firm commitment founded on reason.”
We are not passive witnesses to injustice. We are moral agents. We are spiritual people with sacred responsibility.
Yes, the government is shut down. But our hearts must not be.
Let us remain open. Attentive. Courageous. Let us tell the truth: Healthcare is a human right. Budgets are moral documents. Democracy is not a spectacle—it is a shared, sacred commitment to the common good.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where do you see mercy missing in our public life?
How might you embody rachamim—compassion that protects—in your community?
What would it mean to measure our success by how well we care for one another?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer For Justice Rooted in Love
O Holy One, You are the breath of the brokenhearted And the fire in the bones of prophets. You do not turn your face from the sick. You do not forget the poor. You do not reward greed with blessing. So turn our hearts again— Away from cruelty masked as politics, Away from systems that sacrifice the many for the wealth of a few. Let justice roll like a river. Let healthcare be a right, not a privilege. Let your people rise—not in despair, but in sacred defiance. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Make the Invisible Visible
Today, take one small action to make compassion tangible.
Share the story of someone impacted by healthcare policy.
Call or write to a representative and tell them where you stand.
Contribute to a mutual aid fund or offer to help someone you know struggling with medical costs.
Each action is a candle in the dark. Each prayer is a protest of love. Each day, we become the society we long for, one sacred act at a time.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
THIS WEEK! November 3 - 6, 2025 - FREE Online Digital Ministry Summit - Join us for four days of conversations from over a dozen digital ministry leaders, including the Convergence Digital Ministry Senior Fellows. REGISTER HERE.
November 13, 20 2025, 7pm ET - In Search of a New Story: Reimagining What Comes Next, A 4-Part Online Series with Dr. Matthew Fox, Cameron Trimble, Ilia Delio, Diana Butler Bass, Caroline Myss and Luther Smith. We are living through the unraveling of many old stories—about who we are, why we’re here, and how we are meant to live together on this Earth. As these inherited narratives collapse under the weight of climate crisis, social fragmentation, and spiritual disconnection, the question becomes clear: What story will guide us now? REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
October 30 - December 4, 2025 - Online Course “Partnering with Life: Our Missing Ally” with Margaret Wheatley. Meg is launching a new course (and I will be tagging along). Partnering with life means much more than getting into nature to soothe our troubled selves. Life is waiting for us to join her as we struggle to maintain sanity through this dark and destructive time. Learn more and register here.
July 19-24, 2026 - Join me and amazing co-facilitator, Victoria, on retreat in the back-country of beautiful Wyoming. The Art of Wilding is a 5-Day Expedition for Women Leaders. We will spend the week reconnecting to nature, exploring our inner landscapes for change, and engage the wisdom of spiritual teachings. Click here to learn more.
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
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Thank you for being you, as you are a true gift, thank you for being here, thank you for being reliable for always showing up in my space with the truth, each day.
The prayer today says, "let healthcare be a right". Just as in the phrase "let freedom ring", the verb let means action. Freedom doesn't ring by itself and healthcare becomes a "right" not from invoking natural law but by enacting human laws. Rights for humans are social rights enacted either in custom or by law. It is to our shame as a nation that unlike other wealthy countries good healthcare is a privilege not yet a right.