Forgiven: a lecturette

Pope John Paul II's death this weekend has led to some reflection on my part. While raised and educated Catholic, I differ on some theological points. Perhaps they are significant, perhaps a situation where one should just suck up and deal with it. Regardless, I have decided that one of my most important priorities must be forgiveness.

In Catholicism, forgiveness is ritualized, administered by a priest who embodies God's forgiveness of our sins. But even in the absence of ritual, forgiveness is a liberating practice. A Terre Haute Holocaust survivor, Eva Kor, has raised eyebrows with her declaration of forgiveness for the Nazis, particularly Dr. Joseph Mengele, who experimented cruelly upon her and countless others. Kor runs a Holocaust museum called CANDLES. http://te.verweg.com/pipermail/msn-list/2005-March/000865.html

I am reminded of the Doonesbury cartoon I read as a boy, featuring Ronnie Reagan speaking in one panel to American Jews: "Never Forget." and in the next to Germans: "Forgive and Forget." But all jokes aside, can we reconcile the notion of forgiveness with one of remembering the cruelties of the past? For Eva Kor, this act of forgiveness was necessary for her life to move forward, to put an end to past torments.

Similarly, the idea of African-Americans forgiving the whites who enforced Jim Crow, a lynching society, and centuries of oppression is tough to swallow. But swallow it we must, who will liberate our spirits and reach our fullest potential. I don't doubt that anger can be directed usefully. The man with fire in his belly can really burn his enemies, but at what cost to himself? The fire in his belly must feed on his insides.

Just to be clear, I am in favor of affirmative action, equitable public schooling, and other steps our nation must take to redress historical and contemporary oppression against minorities. However, we may view this as an issue of accountability and not one of revenge. Revenge comes out of a rancorous heart, and cannot free the heart of rancor as can forgiveness.

But forgiveness is not easy ... until it becomes a practice. So I will try to work on that today in the hopes that it is freeing. (This isn't easy for me, for all my high talk.) Hmm. I think I can now forgive the senior in my freshman science class who made fun of my too-short pants. That felt all right. Maybe this is something to build on.