An Act of Extreme Forgiveness

[oenophile]

Amish grieve with Gunman's family

Only love can conquer hate.

-Marvin Gaye from What's going on

Edited October 8, 2006 by oenophile

[TheEvan]

Iread in yesterday's paper that the older of the two sisters pleaded with the gunman to kill her first. Her sister then asked to be next. They asked in hopes that their friends could somehow be spared.

Greater love hath no man...

[ChattyKathy]

And yet we have some who would kill in the name of their god.

Deeply touching to overwhelming.

[J0nny Ling0]

Wow. To forgive so quickly, and to act out of love like this is so deep. I am reproved by this whole thing...

[Belle]

A great lesson in that for all of us.

[Lifted Up]

Wow. To forgive so quickly, and to act out of love like this is so deep. I am reproved by this whole thing...

Perhaps somne others of us are as well.

A great lesson in that for all of us.

Agreed.

[sirguessalot]

seems to me, that saints and sages have been saying all along

that one's trajectory is really spiritual if it has an unmistakable feature

...that it is an endless series of greater and greater humiliations

and of course, as we are now seeing with this community on tv

...how childishness can be the best messenger of God in this regard

even in the most extremely seemingly unforgiveable circumstances

tho i often wonder how we've come to wear so much armor around our soul?

or how such an occurance may come across like some miracle or sign or wonder?

imho...there is no need to have something extra or special

for such beautifully ordinariness and originality to shine through

it is rather, a series of revealings, or unsheathings, of a soul that can't be faked or ignored

...which then brings us to a different place altogether...tho we havent actually gone anywhere

i think it gets really strange when one finds that there already are, in this world,

living legacies of the arts and sciences of forgiving and sacrifice that are beyond even this amazing act

so, while i dont find it amazing how we can marvel with humility at this kind of holy foolishness

i do find it amazing how large segments of our culture can demonize those very legacies who practice such things

...and in the name of Jesus, no less

i wonder what that does to millions of people

...not forgiving, not forgetting, seeking revenge

and doing it for hundreds of generations?

thank humility

for even a drop of it in this desert

but also

pray that it rains

thanks oeno, too

for posting this

and for everyone who responded

Edited October 9, 2006 by sirguessalot

[waterbuffalo]

Oeno, hi, I read that article, too.

Yes, they're amazing, aren't they. I admire that about them, too.