NOT SEVEN TIMES, BUT SEVENTY-SEVEN TIMES
The Gospel of this Sunday speaks of a topic that can be very heavy and difficult for so many - forgiveness. Peter thinks that he is being generous in the fact that he would offer to forgive someone who had wronged him 7 times and must have been taken aback when Jesus had said, "Not seven times, but I tell you, seventy-seven times" (Matthew 18: 21). Truthfully, forgiveness is one of the most difficult things that we as humans are called to do, but as Catholics we are called to forgive from the heart as Jesus said. This is especially difficult in today's society where the focus can often be one of revenge and anger. We must remember though, the words from the first reading from Sirach, "Anger and wrath, these are abominations, yet a sinner holds on to them" (Sirach 27:30). While injustices may enflame us, true justice cannot be achieved unless it is coupled with forgiveness. St. Pope John Paul II said in his Message for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace 2002:
No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness: this is what in this Message I wish to say to believers and non-believers alike, to all men and women of good will who are concerned for the good of the human family and for its future.No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness: this is what I wish to say to those responsible for the future of the human community, entreating them to be guided in their weighty and difficult decisions by the light of man's true good, always with a view to the common good.No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness: I shall not tire of repeating this warning to those who, for one reason or another, nourish feelings of hatred, a desire for revenge or the will to destroy (15).
One of the things I discussed today, in order to emphasize the need and possibility for forgiveness, was the genocide that happened in Rwanda in 1994 where approximately 800 000 people were murdered in the span of 100 days. Not only that, but an estimated 250 000 were also raped during this violent time. This was due to a civil war and ongoing strife between the 2 main tribes in Rwanda - the Hutus and the Tutsis. This escalated to the genocide when the president of the country was killed in a plane crash and the carnage began.
As an aside, I was reminded by a parishioner after the 5:00 Mass of the fact that an approved Marian apparition happened in Kibeho, Rwanda approximately 12 years before the genocide. In these apparations, Our Blessed Mother appeared to 3 teenage girls, with a message of prayer and a plea to turn back to the Sacraments. In one of the visions, she revealed to the visionaries a horrible scene filled with skulls and bodies and with the spilling of blood. This was quite possibly a premonition of the violent genocide that would take place just a little more than a decade later. As this was quite a recent apparation, there is video footage of the visionaries during the apparitions as well as interviews with 2 of the three approved visionaries. This video, Our Lady of Kibeho, is fascinating and gives a true account of this apparation.
Sadly, Our Lady's words were not heeded and this horrible genocide happened. People witnessed their families being murdered, their female family members being brutalized and also witnessed the death of many religious Priests and Sisters. It would be a seemingly unforgivable situation - however, we must remember the Gospel and remember that indeed, even these horrendous acts must be forgiven so as not to harbour hate and live a life of anger and vengeance. This is exactly what some of those who survived this horrible time were able to do. In my homily today, I spoke about an article from the New York Times which put the spotlight on the reconciliations that have taken place between pepetrators and suriving victims from the Rwandan genocide. These are true stories of forgiveness - the same forgiveness that Jesus calls for in the Gospel.
I will close this post with the same quote from the NY Times article, that I used during the homily, given by one of the Rwandan survivors. It is one that is profound and truly summarizes the result of true forgiveness:
“Sometimes justice does not give someone a satisfactory answer — cases are subject to corruption. But when it comes to forgiveness willingly granted, one is satisfied once and for all. When someone is full of anger, he can lose his mind. But when I granted forgiveness, I felt my mind at rest.” - Christophe Karorero, Rwandan Survivor
