As a minister I have had the privilege of ‘sitting vigil’ with families as a loved one dies. I also had the experience when my own mother died. She had cancer and as the disease progressed she made it clear that she wished to die at home. The hours were long. The experience was holy. That is why I say keeping vigil is a privilege – it feels like holy ground to be with someone who moves from this life to the mystery of whatever is held for us after death.
For the last few weeks not only his family but all of his country and perhaps even the world is ‘keeping vigil’ as Nelson Mandela lies in a hospital bed. Considered the founding father of South Africa’s democracy, Mandela has been hospitalized since June 8 for a recurring lung infection, a chronic condition triggered by his 27 years of imprisonment.
Mandela captured the world’s attention when, as a young man, he sacrificed all to stand up to the injustice of apartheid. I still remember the jubilance in a parishoners voice when she came to church and said, “Have you heard the news? Nelson Mandela has been released from prison.” That was 23 years ago. After that he rose through the democratic process to be the leader of his country. He governed his country with a sense of justice and kindness leading them through the Truth and Reconciliation hearings in order to face their troubled history. In fact, I believe that one of the attributes that endeared him to the world was his profound lack of bitterness as he moved from prisoner to government and world leader.
His daughter Makaziwe was interviewed recently. She asked people to let the family have their privacy and their time with their beloved father and grandfather. “After all” she said, “we did not have him with us for many years of our growing up. Please let us have this time.” When asked if the family are ready to release him she said, “It is only God who knows the end.”
There is a marvelous story that Jesus tells in The Bible. A person dies and when greeted in the after-life the person hears God say, “Well done – good and faithful servant.” Whenever Nelson Mandela moves from this world to the next, he will, no doubt, hear those words resounding.
