Radical Forgiveness

Forgiveness is definitely not easy. Many people would rather end relationships than forgive someone who they got into an argument with. People today, including myself, get upset with someone and the first thing they think of is not how can I forgive them? If someone hurt you, then most likely, you want the person to suffer in some way. Why should they be forgiven for what they did? This is a question that many people ask themselves. We can learn from stories like Pope John Paul and Immaculee that forgiving others is the right thing to do, not only for them, but also for ourselves.

Pope John Paul was shot 6 times by Mehmet Ali Agca. Immaculee lost her family, friends, and neighbors. Both the Pope and Immaculee did not try to inflict harm on these people; they forgave them. It must have taken a huge amount of strength to do this. Sometimes it is hard for me to forgive a friend when we get into a disagreement, but Pope John Paul and Immaculee were able to look into these peoples eyes, the man who tried to kill him and the people who killed her family, and forgive them. I think both these stories are so famous because people today do not forgive as much as they should. Jesus forgave the men who nailed him to the cross. We can forgive those who hurt us, and when we do forgive, we will come closer to God. 

How's the World? Messy...

I feel like I hear stories of immense suffering or injustice in the news almost everyday. I get upset and become sad for the time, but I never really do anything about my feelings. I think that I do not take action for two reasons, the first is that I feel like I am so used to hearing about terrible events, like murder for example, that I have become accustomed to it, which is terrible. When someone is murdered, I should want to try to help, but it happens so often, I have gotten used to hearing the cries of the families in need. The second reason, which relates to the first is that I do not really understand how bad something really is. Like the article said, I cannot relate at all, for example to seeing the murder of a girl who was raped. I have never been in a situation like that and I think that is why I do not know how to react. When a friend shares a personal story, I definitely think it is easier to help them because I know who they are and can comfort them. I need to try to reach out to others who I may not know, but who are suffering.

I think that the Gospel messages tell us that we should respond by helping the person, no matter what. The article suggests that we imagine our own families suffering. If our own family was suffering, we would want to do anything we possibly could to help them. We must do that for those who are suffering, no matter who they are. We are all God’s family, and we should all be treated equally, so when 16,000 children die from hunger in one day, people who have so much food they do not know what to do with it, should help. I agree with the article and think that trying to put myself in someone else’s situation would help me feel more compassionate.

When I was younger, my parents always said that they didn’t need anything for Christmas, and said that there were people in the world that didn’t have anything. They told me and my siblings that we should not buy something that they would not need. We came across the Heifer Organization, and for a few years, we donated to the organization instead of getting my parents gifts. Heifer is just one of thousands of organizations that help others. Next time I hear about a child starving to death, I will really try to put myself in their position, and try to reach out and help.