Radical Forgiveness

As I read this article about Radical Forgiveness, I respected the Pope for forgiving his would be assassin. If someone had hurt my family in any way, I do not know if I would have the strength to forgive. It is hard to imagine that he had the strength and courage to do that. However, Pope John Paul taught us through a huge impact that we are called to be good Catholics. Our mission is to try to move on pass the violence and hatred and forgive those who need our prayers. Immaculee’s story is similar to Pope John Paul’s because she had the power to forgive the people who killed her family. She did not have hatred nor hold a grudge toward the Hutus, but felt pity and asked God to pray for them and help them realize that what they were doing was wrong. In both scenarios, people were astounded that they had the courage to forgive after the awful crimes that these people had committed. God teaches us that in order to be good and faithful Catholics, we need to love and forgive. Although it may be very difficult, we need to understand that without it, there will never be justifiable peace.