Radical Forgiveness

I can't help but admire the ability of Pope John Paul II (JPII) to forgive the man who shot him, Mehmet Ali Agca. In an article by Mike Hayes on Busted Halo, there are some interesting questions posed. More often then not we find it hard to forgive the little things, carrying grudges into the future. Yet it is completely amazing and respectable how JPII followed Christ's example and truly forgave all those who offended him. Personally, I think JPII is very similar to Immaculee.

From what I've read about Immaculee, she has been through more than enough trauma, having spend 91 days hidden in a bathroom during the genecide in Rwanda. Yet in the documentary we watched in class, Immaculee has been able to overcome so much hate and extend only kindness to those around her. For example, she hugged the brother of the man who killed her brother. This is so hard to fathom on many levels. First off, it feels like there should be some anger and revenge towards that man and everyone who knew him. Yet Immaculee, like JPII, has learned that we are not made to judge, rather leave that up to God. We are only called to follow in the footsteps of Christ, offering kindness and compassion to those we meet on the journey.

Global Solidarity

In recent news, an Afghan woman was beheaded for disobeying her mother-in-law's wishes for her to become a prostitute. This form of manipulation shows an abuse that runs to the core. But what is the world responsible for? Abuse happens, there is no denying that. But more often then not I feel people wait too long if they know something is going on down the street, let alone in another country. I think that there should be laws in effect, ones that are actually enforced, globally. We are called to respect the life and dignity of each human person. This God-given task is not racist against other cultures, but should extend to all of our brothers and sisters. Through our rights and responsibilities, we are called to uphold the dignity of life with everything that we can. Therefore, we should be able to put an end to abuse because we are, basically, defending the human dignity of the abused. This also highlights the solidarity we need. We are not competitors, but brothers and sisters in Christ. And like Julie said, we should be morally responsible to care for at least one other person without question to promote a world of peace and hope. Well this is very applicable now. With Hurricane Sandy wrecking havoc in the lives of many, others are reaching out to help. My friend Jen lives in NJ and has seen first-hand the damage done there. Following her on Facebook, she has recruited a few friends and working on adding more to go and help with the clean-up at various shore points. This simple act shows solidarity and makes all the difference. I think that when more than one life is hurt, people are more likely to respond. Sure, abuse happens but not as rarely as hurricanes, tsunamis, and the like. Overall I feel that we all have a moral call to speak up and defend those who are abused.