What is the Christian's central message? Forgiveness
Acts 26:17-18
"I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn
them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to
God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a
place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." Rob Chaffart
Answers2Prayer Ministries,
www.Answers2Prayer.org
Here is a true testimony of what forgiveness does in
people's lives:
Writer Norman Cousins said that life is an adventure in
forgiveness. I think Fr. Lawrence Martin Jenco would agree.
In 1984, Fr. Jenco traveled to Beirut, dedicated to help the
poorest of the poor. On January 8, 1985, he was kidnapped by
Shiite Muslim extremists and held hostage for 564 days. He
endured imprisonment, beatings, illness and heartbreaking
periods of sorrow and loneliness. Several years after his
release, he wrote a book (BOUND TO FORGIVE, Ave Maria Press,
1995) about his experiences in captivity and, more
importantly, about the power of love and forgiveness.
Fr. Jenco tells about being taped like a mummy from his
ankles to the top of his head each time he was transported
from one place to another. He described being forced to
breathe only from his nose as his mouth was stuffed with a
cloth and taped shut.
He tells of times when his captors said they were going to
kill him and he waited for the bullet to go through his
head. Other times he was dressed up and told he was going
home, only to have his spirits dashed when he was later
informed they were just kidding.
He remembers being chained hand and foot, donning a plastic
bag on his head, and left in a two-foot by six-foot closet.
And he remembers his stench when he was denied washing for
over four months.
He was later asked what lesson those of us who haven't been
in such a position can learn from his experience and apply
to our daily living. He said, "Just look at the madness that
goes on in the world today. We lug our hates and our bigotry
and prejudices from generation to generation and we pass
[them] on.... We [must] stop and look at each other and say,
'I am so sorry for the hurt I caused you. I ask your
forgiveness.' And then [we must] extend forgiveness
and...receive forgiveness. Somewhere along the line we are
going to have to do that. We're all bound to forgive."
Fr. Jenco has forgiven and can attest to the power of
forgiveness. And though our hurt may not be the same as his,
it is no less real. We, too, are "bound" to forgive. For
when we covenant with life to earnestly forgive whatever
hurts come our way, we see amazing results. We find inner
peace and, often, improved physical health as well. As Dr.
O. A. Battista says, "One of the most lasting pleasures you
can experience is the feeling that comes over you when you
genuinely forgive an enemy -- whether he knows it or not."
Genuine forgiveness is crucial if we are to be at peace.
Whether or not it restores a broken relationship, it sets
our own hearts free. Those who will be bound by the promise
to sincerely forgive, will be freed from the bonds of the
past. Bound by love, they are bound...to be happy.
© 2001 Steve Goodier
lifesupport-subscribe@topica.com
I have met (via online) a husband and wife from British
Columbia who were our subscribers. Two years ago they
traveled all the way from BC to Ontario (Vineland to be
precise) with one goal: to meet the man who killed the
wife's mother because of drunk driving. Why would anyone
want to meet the one who killed a beloved one? Is it for
revenge? Is it to insult him? Is it to belittle him? No,
none of the above. They came to meet him in order to forgive
him for what he had done. Yes, he had hurt them deeply, but
Jesus' love reigns in their heart and they wanted to share
this with him. This is what true Christianity does to
people: they are able to forgive! Hallelujah!
In His love,