The wisdom of Bishop Desmond Tutu

I decided to read a bit of Desmond Tutu’s writings and found several websites that offer quotes from his work. You can do the same by searching for him on the Internet.

Today I offer you excerpts from his works that deal with the mystery of human weakness and failure, both subject that we have spoken about in earlier posts. Ponder these things, particularly in light of the fact that Jesus is risen and is with us to give new life to our souls, spirits and bodies.

“We may be surprised at the people we find in heaven. God has a soft spot for sinners. His standards are quite low.” 

“In the end what matters is not how good we are but how good God is. Not how much we love Him but how much He loves us. And God loves us whoever we are, whatever we’ve done or failed to do, whatever we believe or can’t.” 

“Dear Child of God, I write these words because we all experience sadness, we all come at times to despair, and we all lose hope that the suffering in our lives and in the world will ever end. I want to share with you my faith and my understanding that this suffering can be transformed and redeemed. There is no such thing as a totally hopeless case. Our God is an expert at dealing with chaos, with brokenness, with all the worst that we can imagine. God created order out of disorder, cosmos out of chaos, and God can do so always, can do so now--in our personal lives and in our lives as nations, globally. ... Indeed, God is transforming the world now--through us--because God loves us.” 

“It is through weakness and vulnerability that most of us learn empathy and compassion and discover our soul.” 

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

If you would like to explore more on your own, go to http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5943.Desmond_Tutu

God bless you.

Resurrection trumps evil.

Nobel Peace Prize recipient Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa wrote an Easter text which provides us with fruit for reflection. As you read the text, consider how it might come to life in your life by the way you think about things, especially during times of conflict and difficulty. See if your heart can open to the hope which the text offers. Here it is:

Goodness is stronger than evil;

Love is stronger than hate;

Light is stronger than darkness;

Life is stronger than death.

Victory is ours, through him who loved us.

Sometimes it seems like evil, hatred, darkness and death are getting the upper hand in our world and in our lives. But they are mere shadows when seen from the perspective offered by the Resurrection of our Lord. Shadows have no real substance; shadows are temporary; they are illusory like wisps and ghosts in the face of true life. Just consider the Crucifixion and death of Jesus: at the time He was hanging on the cross, it looked like evil had won the battle over goodness and life.

But those victories were illusions. Even during this time when there is much hatred and violence and turmoil in our world, what we witness in horror is not the final word in the evolution of the world. In the face of all that is happening, our task is to continue to life a Resurrection life:

Live and practice goodness.

Live and practice love.

Choose to live in light and to spread that light where you can.

Choose life in all of its aspects.

Consider, if you will, how it may be possible, in God’s grace, for you and me to apply and give witness to goodness, love, light and life. For each of us, the answer will be different. It might be helpful if you can think of people in your life who demonstrate each of these qualities. That would be a good start. From there, go on to claim the victory!

God bless you with goodness, love, light and life.