Joy and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

 

When I think of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, I remember a solemn procession in St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town. I can’t recall what the specific occasion was, but a river of vestments, chasubles, and copes moved slowly down the central aisle. And then, amidst the propriety and pomp, one person cannot contain the joy, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu starts dancing his way toward the altar.

That exuberant joy, braided together with a passion for justice, a love (especially) for the marginalized, and a faithful commitment to an often-faltering church and suffering nation—these were the unique mixture that characterized Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

I believe both Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela were unique gifts for a particular time and place— filled with intelligence, good humor, a passion for justice and leadership gifts for the anti-apartheid struggle. Yes, they were given the gifts, but they also responded to their particular place and time in faithful and courageous ways. Either of them could have said ‘no’ and lived more mundane lives. We would never have heard of them.

Many people know about Tutu’s struggle against apartheid. They’ve heard of his shaping and leading South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. These won him the Nobel Prize for Peace, and great and almost universal respect.

But sometimes his outspoken ways upset people. He championed the ordination of women in the Anglican church. He urged the church to support loving same-sex partnerships. And in recent years, he spoke truth to power, as he pushed for the ANC (Mandela’s party) to denounce and topple Zuma—a Trump-like president who was corrupting the tender institutions and finances of a new South Africa.

To me, Archbishop Tutu’s life of joy and faith and action on behalf of the weak outsider speaks of Christ’s life.

For many of us who often feel embarrassed to call ourselves Christian because our nation is littered with so many hypocritical examples, Archbishop Desmond Tutu is someone who truly and deeply lived his faith. We can point to him and say, “That is what it looks like when someone really follows Christ.” May it be so with us.

Each month a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. This month’s contributor is Mary Ellen Ashcroft, Vicar of Spirit of the Wilderness Episcopal Church.