Peace Quote of the Day

"So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God." (Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 5:23-24)

Given Jesus' other teachings, e.g., the Parable of the Good Samaritan, it's fairly likely that by "someone" he meant, "anyone," of your own people or another people. And this seems a particularly good word for religious people, who often find ways to be religious, but have broken relationships with others (or perhaps, even worse, to use religion to hurt people).

How Do You Forgive When Someone Kills Your Son?

Inspired by Robi Damelin of the Parents Circle

June 17, 2010

how do you forgive when someone kills your son?

when he did it on purpose

is made a hero

has no regret

(in fact, is proud of doing it).

how do you continue working for peace and reconciliation

when someone on the other side (though you work against "us" vs. "them")

strikes a deathblow to your heart.

where do you find the strength

to turn ideas and convictions

into action powerful enough

to enable you to rise from the death grip of sorrow,

to keep going,

to face into the pain and agony,

to learn to speak the killer’s name,

to write him a letter (where he waits in prison).

and when he responds viciously,

rejects your gesture of peace,

attacks you,

to still move forward.

is it an act of god for you to pursue peace,

even if you don’t revere him?

are you living the life of god,

even if you profess not to know him?

what other explanation could there be?

it is not natural

it almost is not human

(unless to be human is to bear the divine image)

to forgive someone who kills your son.

are you able to do it because god did it first?