🔥 IT IS THE PENULTIMATE DAY OF LENT MADNESS 🔥 Which means tomorrow at noon we go LIVE 🎥 Join us for our Livestream Watch Party on Facebook Live as we meet bloggers, vloggers, and the amazing people who make Lent Madness happen and love it just as much as you do. We will see you tomorrow at 12:00pm 👀

But first… yesterday 😏 The tournament is almost complete and we have our final Faithful Four matchup to decide who will face Constance and her companions in the Golden Halo final. The martyrs of Memphis just sent all the Lutherans to Heartbreak Hotel 🎸 after defeating Martin Luther 69.68% to 30.32%

But that was yesterday…Today’s matchup is our toughest choice yet 🔥

First up, the man who wrote the rule of life, shaped monasticism, transformed worship, and built a legacy of discipleship across the world ⛪

It's... Benedict of Nursia!!!

vs

A man who lived the Golden Rule, stood against injustice, and helped transform a nation, a communion, and the world ✝️🌍

It's...Archbishop Desmond Tutu!!!

Two giants of the faith. One final spot in the Golden Halo. Who will meet Constance and her companions in tomorrow’s final… you decide

Desmond Tutu

It’s been an honor to have Archbishop Desmond Tutu as a companion on this Lenten journey. As I reflect on his life, words, and works several themes have emerged:

Many historical saints did not have to consider issues like economic sanctions, mass media, and the gaze of the entire globe. Watching how Desmond Tutu dealt firmly and graciously with the modern context encourages us as we seek to live faithfully in an increasingly complicated and connected world.

He points us toward the need for silence and stillness with God. When we are overwhelmed and striving, he calls us to return and sit with the “unruffled One” who is the source of our joy.

Archbishop Tutu models courage by breaking culturally ingrained barriers and not shying away from hard truths in search of justice and healing. Whether it was being the first black general secretary of the South African Council of Churches or naming the hurts of apartheid, Desmond Tutu did not lose sight of God’s vision for dignity and reconciliation for all people.

His interfaith work displays an openness and willingness to collaborate with other religions, focusing on them at their best and working together to create a better world.

His development of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the model it created demonstrate that forgiveness does not involve denying pain and damage, but it involves facing each other as fellow human beings, acknowledging the truth, and making the choice to forgive in light of that truth.

Desmond Tutu contributed to black theology and African theology, bringing attention to how African history and context can add to our understanding of God, especially with his concept of interconnectedness, ubuntu.

He used the gifts God gave him in service of God’s kingdom, nurturing a spirit of joy and laughter. He was insistent to include prayer in his day-to-day life and emphasized the centrality of God’s presence in his work.

He modeled how to be an advocate for those who are oppressed. He spoke firmly, loudly, and with action to proclaim God’s truth when power was used to denigrate and persecute.

The Arch’s life exemplifies the characteristics of a saint and models what holiness can look like in today’s context. Since he does not hold the title of a canonized saint, awarding him the Golden Halo declares he deserves to be called Saint Desmond Tutu for his work to further God’s Kingdom. May we all leave this Lenten season reflecting on the companionship of saints like Archbishop Tutu and sing together “I Sing a Song of the Saints of God” (the hymn by Lesbia Scott), “They were all of them saints of God, and I mean, God helping, to be one too.”

— Emily Kiel

Benedict of Nursia

When I received my Benedict of Nursia assignment, I must admit that where I initially thought my writing on Benedict would go and where it has gone are different. I thought I would be writing about a renowned Saint associated with a protection medal. Instead, I have come to hold a deep respect for Benedict. My biggest personal takeaways are Ora et labora, Benedict’s steadfast resistance to the corrupt world surrounding him, his compassion towards others, the wisdom with which he spoke, and the way he lamented even for those who sought his death.

I now understand why so many people are drawn to him, his life, and Rule: it is because of the wisdom he imparted in the Rule and through the only biography we have on him, written by Gregory the Great. Both writings strongly emphasize his balance of prayer and work—Ora et labora, as it is famously known. Being the “Father of Western Monastic Life”, Benedict’s Rule, highly influenced Thomas Cranmer’s writing of The Book of Common Prayer. The Rule continues to influence laypeople, consecrated religious orders, and countless ordinary individuals. Its wisdom has weathered the test of time and remains a quintessential work of Western monastic literature.

While Benedict was born into wealth, he rejected the life corrupt society set before him, living on his own for several years before founding monasteries. His monasteries embodied community and were life-giving for people within and outside the monastery’s walls. He welcomed Goths into monostatic life as well as talking with these outsiders beyond the monastery. He also provided financial help for people in the surrounding area when needed. Remarkably, he held no ill will to the multiple people who tried to kill him; when one of those men died, he even lamented his passing. Benedict welcomed and treated everyone at the monastery as Christ would have, leading by example rather than by words alone. He was a man of action.

Benedict spent considerable time alone in caves and monasteries, sitting in prayer with Jesus. This practice allowed him to go out and serve the many communities he touched, while forming other monks through wisdom gained from prayer, experience, and service. He often spoke kindly and reasonably in highly emotional situations, offering a powerful example for our own lives. We too can step away from distractions: go outside, turn off screens, and intentionally make time for prayer, even if only for 5 minutes at first, allowing that time to grow over time. In Benedict’s own words, “Prefer nothing whatever to Christ.” Especially during this Holy Week, unplug, and spend time with Jesus and reflect on what His life, death, and resurrection mean for this world and for you.

— Sara Kay Hill