shocking...they forgive a murderer

Here is an article by St. Joan Chittester from the National Catholic Reporter reflecting on what was the shock surrounding the murder of the five Amish girls in PA.

But it was not the violence suffered by the Amish community last week that surprised people. Our newspapers are full of brutal and barbarian violence day after day after day -- both national and personal.
No, what really stunned the country about the attack on the small Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania was that the Amish community itself simply refused to hate what had hurt them.
"Do not think evil of this man," the Amish grandfather told his children at the mouth of one little girl's grave.

"Do not leave this area. Stay in your home here." the Amish delegation told the family of the murderer. "We forgive this man."

No, it was not the murders, not the violence, that shocked us; it was the forgiveness that followed it for which we were not prepared. It was the lack of recrimination, the dearth of vindictiveness that left us amazed. Baffled. Confounded.

It was the Christianity we all profess but which they practiced that left us stunned. Never had we seen such a thing.

Here they were, those whom our Christian ancestors called "heretics," who were modeling Christianity for all the world to see. The whole lot of them. The entire community of them. Thousands of them at one time. read the whole article

7 varieties of Jesus

This is an excerpt from a recent talk by Brian McLaren on the 7 versions of Jesus that he has found within the different traditions of the Christian church.  Which one is your's?  How will you be challenged and grow from the others?

http://fairlawnwest .org/jesusmclare n.htm

 

comment from the past

I just became aware of a comment (reply) to one of my posts a few months ago that made a very derogatory personal comment about me from my past 25 years ago. (I thought Blogger was notifying me of all comments.) I have since deleted that comment. I am also moving to approving all comments. They will be posted to the site, but I will be notified for approval to keep them up on the site.

The person who shared the comment (who didn't post their name) obviously is feeling a lot of pain from something that must have happened with them over 25 years ago. In reading it myself I felt the pain of my past. The comment was gratefully brought to my attention by someone who has also been reading this blog and is involved with their own journey of spiritual recovery and healing from the past of their life.

From the wording of the comment, I have a pretty good clue who posted it. May God forgive us both for what we have done to hurt each other! I believe God has. May we forgive each other? As I read the comment, it brought back a rush of "old" feelings. Over the past hour I have prayed and read scripture and talked with some folks who guide me in recovery. I pray that whoever the person was who posted the comment will have similar gifts of grace from God in their life now.

killings and forgiveness among the Amish

Here are two very good and challenging pieces on how the Amish families whose children were murdered are forgiving and assisting the family of their children's murder's family. They are called by Christ to forgive so that they will know and live in love rather than further the resentment and hate that killed their children.

Column by Donald Kraybill in the Philadelphia Inquier

NPR "Talk of the Nation" interview with Kraybill about this

at Abbey of Gethsemani

A woman in the Fairlawn-West community (our church) has spent this week in silent retreat the Abbey of Gethsemani south of Bardstown, KY where Thomas Merton lived as a Trappist monk. This is the response we have from her both by a postcard and from a cell phone call on her way home today:

“I’m watching the sunrise Tues. a.m. You have to do this soon!! I knelt on the ground yesterday beside Fr. Louis’ grave! (Thomas Merton)

I can’t begin to tell you how ‘Holy’ this is. Br. Rene and I had a great conversation about Thomas Merton…he was here with him in ’68. I love the peace and serenity! Love, Linda”

summary of phone call: She is almost overwhelming with her sense of the spirit of God (I mean that in a very good way). She sounds like a different person. She sounded relaxed and calm and so full of the Spirit!! She said she had to call, not because she needed to talk with someone, but because she needed to share with someone what an awesome experience it was for her. She said that she realized she had been so worried about doing Jesus and getting it right that she had forgotten about being with Jesus and being Jesus to others. She said that she no longer needs a robbery to help her to feel God because she knew He was there and that she knows she needs to be more intentional of her faith. (A year ago Linda had a gun pointed at her head in a robbery of a store and she found herself feeling the calming presence of God at that point and then afterwards ministering to the emotional turmoil of the other folks in the store.) I don’t want to give anymore away because I cannot do her words justice because it was truly the feeling that I had just talking to her, the emotions and LOVE that she exuded in her every breath!! How wonderful it sounded to be such an out of control Christian!!!