Beloved in Christ,

I greet you all in the wonderful name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who loves us so much that He continues to give himself for us and for our Salvation. We have finally come to the end of a very busy and exciting Easter term. It is my prayer that even though many of us are feeling tired, we will look back and see how God has been faithful to us. We have so much to thank God for and we have been able to enjoy many of the activities that we love. Sports and cultural activities are taking place with live audiences, yet, we must not forget how the last two years have impacted us. What lessons have we learnt over the last two years? In this pastoral letter, I want to point out one important lesson that I believe will take us far in this life.

“WE MUST HAVE A DESIRE TO HAVE THE SAME HUMILITY AS CHRIST”

The Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians in chapter 2: verses 5-8: “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

My dear friends, humility is one very important virtue that each one of us must have, but we need to possess it in a way that glorifies God. Without humility, we cannot please God, even if we do good things. Humility is directly related to our ability and willingness to learn. Humble people are better learners and problem solvers. Humble people who are genuinely open to feedback often overtake their naturally more talented peers who think so highly of their own abilities that they reject all advice.

I want to encourage us all to choose humility over pride and selfishness, no matter what situation we may find ourselves in. On Good Friday, Our Lord Jesus Christ gives a lasting example of what it means to have humility. Even though He was God himself he takes on our frail nature to help us become one with Him. On Easter Day, we will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ which reveals God’s gift to us in the truth of the new life of Jesus: the truth that God is a God of love who walks with us and brings us to a place of wholeness, a place of possibility, a place of new life. A new life that is grounded in hope and compassion. A new life that is deeply connected to God’s love and passionate about sharing that love with the world. A new life that reveals God’s justice in ways that transform not only our lives but the whole world. As your Chaplain and friend, this is my prayer for you, that your lives will also be transformed by the new life of Jesus, by God’s justice, by God’s love and passion, by this truth.

I pray that you will indeed have the desire to have the same humility as Christ.

Reverend (Fr) Thabang Bengani
Chaplain