Forgiving, not Forgetting

Forgiveness in our modern day world is more rare than it is common. The people of our world, including myself, tend to hold grudges against people who hurt us. In my opinion, the rareness of forgiveness in our society is what makes both Pope John Paul II’s and Immaculée’s so shocking. Pope John Paul II and Immaculée were both able to forgive murderers, and we, on the other hand, find it hard to forgive our neighbor who was rude to us last week.

Although their acts of forgiveness are shocking, I believe that the forgiveness they showed is healthy. I DO NOT believe the killers should ever feel their crimes were okay or that they will be forgotten. However, like we discussed in class forgiving is not forgetting. They need to know they are responsible for horrendous, immoral acts. Forgiving, however, can be beneficial to the victim. On our Junior retreat, Mrs. DeStefano shared a story of forgiveness and told our class, “sometimes forgiving is more for the person who was hurt than the person who hurt.” I believe by Pope John Paul II and Immaculée forgiving their enemies, they were able to find peace within themselves. While I am confident their acts of forgiveness must have taken extraordinary strength, I believe their acts are a healthy way of moving on towards a more positive life.