Forgiveness

It is crazy think that I could ever forgive someone who almost murdered me. However, this is what Pop John Paul II did with a man who shot him six times!! I cannot fathom the amount of strength and courage it takes to face the person that almost killed you and say that you forgive them. This action demonstrates the Christian ideal and is the essence of what the Lord did for us when he died on the cross. This is also similar to what Immaculee has done with the men who killed members of her family. She believes these men are good at heart and has the strength to forgive all of them. I have a hard time believing that I could do the same thing that Immaculee and Pope John Paul II did to these men that did horrible things. However, as difficult this must have been for these people, and has hard it is to believe for myself to ever do, they were following the Christian message of forgiveness.

Messy World

When I hear stories on the news, most of the time I don’t let them sink in and they soon leave my train of thought. I think this goes for a majority of people as well. I believe this because this does not directly affect me and I hear these terrible stories so often. Like the article said, I cannot relate to a girl that has been murdered and raped. I have never known anyone in that situation and I believe that is why I do not have a reaction. However, when I hear stories from close friends I can relate to them more because I have a relationship formed with them and it is easier to help them because I know them. This perspective I think relates to a lot of people today and I think needs to change because we need to reach out not only to our close friends but also to people we do not know, who are suffering. This perspective relates to the Gospel message because we should respond to helping people, no matter who they are. The article stated that we should imagine that our own family is suffering and that we would do anything for them, and this is how we should treat everyone who is suffering. For myself, always around the holiday time my father and his company go around house to house giving presents to families who have so little. I always participate in this with him and it is shocking to go into the homes and see how little they have. I am grateful for what I possess but I need to put myself in others shoes and reach out to people in need and who are suffering.