Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu told Gonzaga University graduates recently to, “Dream, dream God’s dream, dream as you are, incredibly idealistic creatures. You do believe, don’t you, that this is a world that can become a world where war is no more?” Most Rev. Tutu accepted Gonzaga’s invitation to speak at the 2012 Graduation Commencement and 125th year anniversary, a commitment requiring him to travel from another region of the world. God’s love is all-inclusive, and the Lord wants to partner with youth so his “children will get to know we are all one family, God’s family, the human family. And no one, no one is outside this embrace,” Tutu proclaimed. As a recent Gonzaga graduate, I was inspired to dream a dream for myself as I enter the world of the unknown. Tutu spoke of a love language that we desire and wish to know intimately. Declaring God's divine love for us, the love that Tutu spoke of, is a love that we desire for the romance of our souls. Tutu's words were filled with a message of peace — a peace that transcends the selfless Grace of God.
In the controversial society that we reside in, we learn from the oppression of our peers. We grow under expectations from previous generations. We fail in the empty aspirations we fulfill our hearts desires. We are a broken world. We are however, one body of Christ, united in a holy and pure love. We are united in a love that kisses our lips with truth and does justice to our souls.
Ignatius Loyola cried out to the Lord, “Take Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, O lord, I return it. All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will. Give me Thy love and thy grace, for this is sufficient for me.”
Educated in the holistic Jesuit philosophy, I am created for a divine purpose by God alone. I am not a mistake. We are not a mistake, reassured by Tutu. Biblical text speaks to many different translations of faith; yet there is one universal truth that ALL, Tutu re-iterated share: Love. Steering away from judgment of how we desire to live our individual lives, in accordance to our individual belief systems, and in contrast to our peers, we ought to share one universal truth that binds us. Love.
Jesus did not come to save the few, but the many. Tutu's speech humbled our expectations we uphold on ourselves and others. We are created for an intimate fellowship with others to share in the body of Christ. God's love speaks of mercy, forgiveness selflessly given to us sinners. Yet, if all sins are equal in God's eyes, then why do we persecute those who justly deserve God's intimate love?
