Abstract
The following question is at stake: What entails forgiveness and reconciliation within processes of healing regarding schisms in a very diverse and polarised society? Despite the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission the burning question that still prevails: What is meant by a praxis of forgiveness and a spirituality of reconciliation within a post-apartheid dispensation? It is argued that forgiving and reconciling are not instant or merely ‘handsome pardoning’. Both are embedded in processes of reaching out to the pain and hurt of the other. As a process, forgiveness starts with self-acknowledgement and should manifest in modes of compassionate being-with and diaconal acts of reaching out, creating spaces of ‘mystical encounters’. In this regard, the notion of anagnorisis, as captured by narrating the encounter between Joseph and his brothers, should be read as an exemplification of reconciliation, directed by the missio Dei, promissio Dei and passio Dei . Within a Christian paradigm, Ernst Bloch’s notion of docta spes , very aptly captures the core of pastoral, reconciliatory care: Hope care to the human soul ( nēphēsh ) – the search for life and meaning. ‘ Dum spiro – spero ’ [While I Breathe, I Hope]. Contribution: It is often the case that reconciliation is viewed as an instant event. The case of Joseph and his brothers illustrates the fact that reconciliation is in fact a mode of life, embedded over many years. In this way, reconciliation could be rendered as part of one’s life story; as a mode of journeying through life, exemplifying the how of authentic human encounters. Reconciliation then becomes an ontic feature of relational integrity and indication of the quality of the human soul: Habitus as feeling from the hurt being of the other.
Highlights
In her book Conversations with My Sons and Daughters, Mamphela (2012) wrote: Dialogues start with acknowledgement of the presence of others
What is the impact of this remark on the current discourse on reconciling the many different diverse viewpoints and schismatic polarisations taking place within the social and political environment? What is meant by a Christian spirituality of a hope-giving source of forgiveness and reconciliation?
11.Without a further discussion of the question whether the Lord’s suffering servant was Isaiah himself or another historical or messianic figure, the important meaning of this metaphor is the following (Louw 2016:281): (1) In the image of a servant, the Servant announces God’s will (Is 42:3) and he himself confirms his faithful covenantal care (Is 42:6); (2) the servant confirms God’s sovereignty and the maintenance of justice (Is 49:1–6); (3) the servant confirms the motif of comfort, sustenance and support (Is 50:4–9); (4) in the Servant’s suffering, he acts vicariously and is punished and abused on behalf of others (Is 52:13–53:12) in order to exemplify the significance of both forgiveness and reconciliation
Summary
In her book Conversations with My Sons and Daughters, Mamphela (2012) wrote: Dialogues start with acknowledgement of the presence of others. The complexity of forgiveness as a paradigmatic framework for processes of reconciliation The basic intention of this article is to explore the following assumption and connect it to the hope-giving space of Christian spirituality and the hospitable charity of reaching out to the other or others.
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