Happy Father's Day

On this Father's Day Sunday, it seems important to me to not only acknowledge my own father, but also my Father in heaven. But, there is yet another father, I would like to recognize - Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Not only is he the winner of the 1984 Nobel Prize for Peace, but he is also a fellow Franciscan (yes, a professed Tertiary!) and most importantly, a father, himself.

In 1955, Desmond Mpilo Tutu married Leah Nomalizo. Still married, they are also the parents of four children - Trevor Thamsanqa, Theresa Thandeka, Naomi Nontombi and Mpho Andrea.

And today, as the Episcopal Church USA continues its convention in Columbus, Ohio, the next Presiding Bishop is being chosen (by vote) to take the place of Frank Griswold. And that is why this quote by Tutu seems so appropriate to me today:

"Jesus did not say, 'I if I be lifted up I will draw some.' Jesus said, 'If I be lifted up I will draw all, all, all, all, all. Black, white, yellow, rich, poor, clever, not so clever, beautiful, not so beautiful. It's one of the most radical things. All, all, all, all, all, all, all, all. All belong. Gay, lesbian, so-called straight. All, all are meant to be held in this incredible embrace that will not let us go. All.
"Isn't it sad, that in a time when we face so many devastating problems – poverty, HIV/AIDS, war and conflict – that in our Communion we should be investing so much time and energy on disagreement about sexual orientation?"
Tutu said the Communion, which "used to be known for embodying the attribute of comprehensiveness, of inclusiveness, where we were meant to accommodate all and diverse views, saying we may differ in our theology but we belong together as sisters and brothers" now seems "hell-bent on excommunicating one another. God must look on and God must weep."