VISIT THE IMPRISONED
In 1983 St. John Paul II visited
the Mehmet Ali Agca, in prison, who shot him to death. In 2008 Priyanka Vadra Gandhi
visited Nalini in vellore jail(south India) who is the only surviving assassin
of her father Rajiv Gandhi. These people not only visited the prisoners but forgave
them for what they did to them. Their visit made a difference in the lives of
the criminals. The wild wolfs turned to be lambs. The persons who were living in
dark caves realized that there is a light at the outside of the cave.
When I was in prison you visited
me (Mt 25:36). We may feel who are we to visit prisoners? And will they listen
to us? Will they change their attitude? But before asking these question let us
analyse ourselves weather do we have a heart of kindness towards the prisoner?
Will we be available for them to listen what they say? Are we ready to change
our attitude towards prisoners? We were imprisoned in sins. We were in need of
liberation. There came a redeemer, Jesus Christ, to set us free. If he had not
come where we would be? We were in prison of sin, He visited us.
Visiting does not mean forgiving.
It is an initiation to the process of forgiveness. Through the incarnation of
Christ, the people of God were strengthened that they would receive salvation. Our
visit strengthens the prisoner. It makes them feel that there is somebody to
care for them. Let us not be Indifferent to them. Pope Francis in his New Year
message for the current year said that Let us come over the indifference and
win peace. After visiting the imprisoned it is not finished. Forgiveness is the
culmination of visiting the imprisoned.
FORGIVE OFFENSES
WILLINGLY
Jesus said to peter ‘Not seven times,
but I tell you, seventy-seven times (Mt 18:22). Forgiveness does not mean
forgetting, nor does it mean condoning or excusing offenses. Forgive means
giving up one’s own pride for the sake of other. Through forgiveness we GIVE
ourselves totally FOR the others. Though forgiveness can help repair a damaged
relationship, it doesn’t obligate you to reconcile with the person who harmed
you, or release them from legal accountability. Pope Francis Says, “Forgiveness
is the essence of the love which can understand mistakes and mend them.”
Forgiveness brings the forgiver peace of mind and frees him or her from
corrosive anger.
Many people may be ready to
forgive the offenses. But, do they really forgive them wholeheartedly and
willingly. In the parable of prodigal son, the father forgave the sins of his
younger son willingly. He did it not because he is his father that he had to be
compassionate, but he did it out of his love for the son. Forgiveness that
emanates from love sets the offender totally free. A person must have done
something against our will. Once it is done, it is done. By reacting against
him/her for that does not make any difference or change. Whatever the offenses
they may be, the fact that had happened cannot not be deleted or ignored.
God forgave our sins willingly. We
did not force him to come down and die for us. It is God who came to us
willingly, freely without any compulsion. The role of the father in the
prodigal son clearly explains God’s compassion for us. The father ran to his
son (Lk 15:20). Our God is an ever-living God, He came down to us, He ran to us
and said that He still loves us. The offenses that happen in our life should
not be speed breakers for our relationships. Our life span is very short. Let
us not waste our time in convicting the offenders but forgive them willingly to
live the life with full of love and fun.
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