Nelson Mandella: A Person Faithful to the Spirit's Guidance

In today’s first reading, Isaiah 29: 17-24, Isaiah prophesies that Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard, and the orchard be regarded as a forest! On that day [of salvation] the deaf shall hear the words of the book [the book of life itself]; and out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.”

Out of the 27 years spent in the darkness of an 8’ by 8’ prison cell, Nelson Mandela’s efforts to confront the injustice of apartheid in South African were finally realized.  Out of gloom and darkness, the injustices  imposed by wealthy whites upon the people of color, a light had shown. The justice of God shown through Nelson Mandela.  As the prophet Isaiah prophesied, the “lowly” found “joy” in the Lord working through Mandela. The “poor” were led to rejoicing in the Holy One of Israel at work in South African through a faithful son, a beloved brother, who was willing to die for justice, integrity and right relationships between whites and blacks, between the rich and the poor.  Through Nelson Mandela, the people of his country witnessed the power of reconciliation and forgiveness, in that Mandela forgave his oppressors, his jailers, those who condemned him to life in prison. Why? Because he stood for truth, justice and right relationships. Grace triumphed over the evils he fought against because of Christ’s victory on the cross where Satan’s head was crushed, where evils were rendered powerless. Because Mandela cooperated with the Spirit of God directing him from within, “Lebanon” was “changed into an orchard, and the orchard [is now] regarded as a forest—an “orchard”, a “forest”  where the dignity and the rights of all people, black and white, are respected.

In cooperation with the absolute and limitless graces of salvation won for us by Christ on the cross in His triumph over death, physical and otherwise, and out of respect for Nelson Mandela ,  may we, too, stand up for the rights of  all people.  May we, like Nelson Mandela,  turn our weapons into plowshares, using reconciliation and forgiveness as weapons  instead of nuclear bombs, drones, and threats of violence. May we have the courage to stand up for truth, justice and the rights of all people even to the point of dealing with the opposition of those who are oppressors of the poor and lowly in the world, in the church, in our societies, in our workplaces; in short, in our personal, familial, ecclesial, social, civic and governmental realities.