The two men pictured below are the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond
Tutu of South Africa.
They look pretty happy here, but both of these men have seen their share
of pain. The Dalai Lama has fought
against oppression and for the freedom of his people. Desmond Tutu was a spiritual leader for the
South African Nation through Apartheid and in the years following. Both of these men have seen heartbreaking
pain and tragedy in their lives. They
have seen the sin that results when one race seeks to dominate others. They also responded to the violence and
division with peace and grace. I
honestly can’t imagine the strength it would take to continue to stand for
peace while facing such hostility and destruction from another power.
Problems still remain for these men and their countries, but they clearly
believe love can overpower hate. Looking
at their picture, one can also see they have a joy that hatred cannot
touch. This gives me hope when I see
division in our world today. God’s Love
can overpower any evil! The Dali Lama and the Archbishop are from very
different religions, but have come to value each other. They have chosen to open their hearts to
learn from each other. In this week’s
scripture passage, Jesus will show the power of an open heart by embracing a
woman of a different culture. Today, we
don’t have to look far to find hate. It
is my hope and prayer that we could open our hearts to Love.
Blessings!
PB
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