Forgiveness

The sermon at church this week was about forgiveness. The preacher talked about the murder/suicide at the Amish school a few weeks ago and how that community has not only offered their forgiveness to the family of the shooter, but they've also donated money to them. The level of fortitude and humanity at play here is nearly unreal. But it appears to be totally real. From the Daily Record in New Jersey:

According to news reports, the Amish community conveyed friendship and forgiveness to Roberts' widow and three young children, and said they'd give the Roberts family part of the charity gifts that poured in.

This is incredibly positive and inspiring news considering the brutality of the events that caused it. To me, the shock of someone killing innocent children and himself is sad, shocking, and somewhat news-worthy, but the fact that the family and community of the victims wasted no time in forgiving - that story should be broadcast as the lead story on every possible media outlet. There is hope for humanity and this looks like a good blueprint.

The sermon (which was very well written) postulated that by forgiving, we don't necessarily absolve someone of responsibility for their actions. We have no way of bringing those children back but we do have control of our reaction to the murders. Undoubtedly, had the shooter survived, he would have been prosecuted, sentenced and likely put to death, anyhow.

Regardless, what the Amish community did was put their faith in their God and their way of life. How powerful is that? They're not ignoring what happened - they're dealing with it without continuing the violence and hatred.

Again, try to find some coverage of this extreme act of mercy. It's really difficult and that's a shame.