You know me folks. I'm not big on the theme of forgiveness. Ha. I do keep harping on it, don't I? Of course the powerful symbol of the cross in our Christian faith representing Christ's forgiving, transforming love is central. As a pastor so many conversations with folk have come down to forgiveness experienced and not experienced, as well as extended and withheld.
Former Archbishop Desmond Tutu has just been awarded the Templeton Prize for 2013, the most significant award in the field of spirituality and religion. It is worth 1.7 million US dollars, which ain't chump change. http://www.templetonprize.org/currentwinner.html
The prize is for Tutu's work through the decades in the area of practical forgiveness, in response to the evil of apartheid in South Africa. The announcement included these thoughts about Tutu:
His deep faith and commitment to prayer and worship provides the foundation for his message of love and forgiveness. He has created that message through extensive contemplation of such profound "Big Questions" as "Do we live in a moral universe?" and "What is humanity's duty to reflect and live God's purposes?"
What are your thoughts about Desmond Tutu? How is forgiveness going for you these days? Do you feel loved and forgiven in Christ?
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5 comments:
Dear Forgivinator,
The man is clearly a legend (for the reasons you mention plus one thousand more) and I wish people like Tutu were celebrated more in our society so that our younger generation could learn to walk a little taller through their example.
Hasta la vista hatred. I like it Ian, and I agree with your thoughts about upholding individuals such as Desmond Tutu. I look forward to other comments.
Yes Tutu deserves to be recognized for forgiveness, and he has done a lot for South Africa, but to me, the definition of forgiveness is Nelson Mandela. I find the man completely fascinating, and I definitely don't think I could have acted the way he did after so many years of imprisonment.
Forgiveness - the art of letting go of wrongs done to you ... even if the offending party is not sorry! Tutu and Mandela are definitely prime examples of such ... and we ought to hold them up, and celebrate them more often and more widely.
Thanks for adding in Mandela Roger, and for that excellent summation Judy.
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