Radical Forgiveness

Forgiveness is probably one of the hardest things to do, in my opinion. It is much easier to hate and hold a grudge against someone who has done you wrong. Yet I think it is very important to forgive to show to yourself, and to your wrongdoer, that you can move on. In this instance, Pope John Paul II went above and beyond when he forgave the man who shot him six times. Honestly, I'm not a perfect person and if someone had tried to kill me I don't think I would be capable of sitting down with that person and talking to them, showing my forgiveness. It takes someone with a lot of faith in the Lord and humanity itself to do such an act. To sit down and look the person in the eye who tried to kill you, and say that you forgive them. If I'm being honest, I dont think I would be able to do it. This relates to Immaculee's story because she did almost the same thing as Pope John Paul II. She met the man who killed her own brother, and told him that she forgave him. I said earlier that I would never be capable of sitting down with someone who tried to kill me and tell them I forgave them. It would be even harder for me to do that to a person who killed one of my family members. In a world full of hatred and violence, Immaculee and Pope John Paul II find it in themselves to make peace rather than succumb to the violence.