Uplifting Words: To justice seekers
The North African bishop Augustine of Hippo famously said that hope has “two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.” The last year was extraordinarily difficult for many, and the temptation to lose hope is real. But I find hope in this: people the world over who put flesh on Augustine’s words, getting angry about the right things, and taking courageous action to work for change. The list is long: Black activists decrying police violence and the underlying racism from which it grows; Indigenous water keepers building alliances with university students to heal God’s groaning creation; Christians listening with new urgency to voices too long ignored in our churches.
May the God of hope fill you with righteous anger at the world’s suffering. May the God of hope gift you the courage to put that anger to good use, for the sake of your neighbour.
Jonathan Nicolai-deKoning
Director of the Micah Centre,
The King’s University
Did you know this blessing is part of a series? Find more uplifting words here.
