Photo from www.immaculee.com
"Lord, if my brother
sins against me, how often must I forgive? – Mt. 18:21
One of the most
amazing stories of forgiveness I’ve ever heard was told by Immaculée Ilibagiza,
a survivor of the Rwandan genocide of 1994, in her book, “Left to Tell.” She
spent three months hiding in a tiny bathroom with seven other starving women,
as her family members and fellow Tutsi tribe members were slaughtered in the
genocide that killed a million people. She survived by praying the rosary
continually, saying, “Prayer became my armor, and I wrapped it tightly around
my heart."
Yet she
encountered difficulty with the words of the Lord ’s Prayer, finding herself
unable to say “forgive us as we forgive
others.” She remembers, "It was no use - my prayers felt hollow. A war
had started in my soul, and I could no longer pray to a God of love with a
heart full of hatred…. I tried again, praying for Him to forgive the killers,
but deep down I couldn't believe that they deserved it at all. It tormented
me... I tried to pray for them myself, but I felt like I was praying for the
devil… I asked God to help me, and again I heard his voice: Forgive them; they
know not what they do…
I took a crucial
step toward forgiving the killers that day. My anger was draining from me - I'd
opened my heart to God, and He'd touched it with His infinite love. For the
first time, I pitied the killers. I asked God to forgive their sins and turn
their souls toward His beautiful light… That night I prayed with a clear
conscience and a clean heart. For the first time since I entered the bathroom,
I slept in peace."
May each of us also
find the grace and peace that comes from forgiving those who have sinned
against us.
I felt aching with pent up rage
ReplyDeleteas I read this painful account of
this special soul--with and for whom,
God surely has special regard
amid the doings of the worrisome,
wanting, wonton and woeful ways
of many sorts in our humanity.
Indeed, I still feel the pang
of negativism from such a terrible
experience, as was told.
I do have difficulty with forgiveness
in such matters.
We do have the standards to strive
for, however. :o