“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” – Matthew 6:12
Every Sunday we say the “Our Father” at mass and every Sunday we are reminded to forgive. But it’s a lot easier said than done.
Right? It’s one thing to say it but it’s another thing to DO it.
As a reporter, I see a lot of life in Memphis. The good, the bad, the ugly. The stories can be inspirational but they can also be depressing and hard to tell.
I recently witnessed a moment at juvenile court that I think we can all learn from. You can read the original blog here: http://laurenmsquires.wordpress.com/2014/10/29/forgiveness-in-a-place-where-cameras-cant-go/
Long story short, if you’ve lived in Memphis for the last six months you’ve heard about the Kroger attacks. Several innocent people were attacked that night by a mob of teens. It filled the city with a lot of anger and fear.
But what happened in juvenile court a few weeks ago taught me a lesson:
“I sat in on a trial this afternoon for the 10th teen charged in the Kroger attacks. I heard the 17-year-old victim speak about what happened to him that night, how he has nightmares when he thinks about having pumpkins the size of soccer balls thrown at this head.
Then I heard the teen suspect’s mother take the stand. She told the judge that she didn’t raise her son this way. And that he deserved punishment. But she didn’t want to see him be thrown under the bus.
Then the 16-year-old suspect took the stand. He admitted to kicking the victim to the ground. And said that he kicked him in the head because others were doing it and he was trying to impress girls.”
It’s easy to read that and get mad right?
But heres the thing, what happened after the court appearance, in the hallway that I’m writing about.
“As we all walked out of the courtroom the victims father, Mark Sauser, was stopped the two mothers. They were in tears, saying that they are sorry for what their boys did to his son. That had their son been attacked they would be very upset.
After a hug one mother said “I wish my son was here to say he is sorry.”
“I tell him I forgive him,” Mark said.”
That moment taught me a lot about forgiveness and brought me back to what we say every Sunday in the “Our Father”:
“Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.”
The church teaches us to forgive and that we are forgive too. We experience that in confession and we experience that communion. I think Mark Sauser’s words speak so much to the power of forgiveness and what it can truly do for our community and for our hearts.
Sometimes the only way to move forward is to let go; to look someone in the eye, recognizing their differences and moving on.
Truth is, we can’t fully experience joy unless we forgive. Pope Francis himself said: “What is the joy of God? It is to forgive! It is the whole Gospel, it is all of Christianity!”
Is there someone in your life you need to forgive? Or better yet, someone you need to ask for forgiveness?
As we head into Thanksgiving Week and prepare to spend time with people we love. Let us remember that moment between Mark Sauser and two mothers, he never thought he’d encounter. Let us remember we can never fully know someone until we’ve walked in their shoes and we can never experience true joy and thanksgiving until we forgive.
