On Forgiveness, Openness and Justice
Father Bob on Forgiveness:
One was a woman from Rwanda where millions were killed a few years ago. She was from tribe A, Tutsi, massacred by tribe B, Hutu. She’d lost husband and children. She was at a “truth and reconciliation” session arranged by South African Bishop Tutu, (Church and State have a different relationship depending on where you are in the world).
She identified her family’s executioners in “court” that day. Then she asked to be lead across the room to the man. I forgive him, she said, and want to take him home to be my son.
Too much, isn’t it! You or I couldn’t do that. We’d want revenge (we call it justice) because we’ve been brought up on retributive justice. We’ve rarely heard of “restorative justice” where all aggrieved parties and the offender(s) are in the same room together to seek truth and reconciliation
The only point I want to make here is that it seems possible to forgive, even if not forget
Powerful stuff from Bob [as usual].
Got me thinking about openness as a restorative agent, or moreso, environment. How much real justice exists in our world, in court or out, depends on how much openness exists in or hearts.
As Bruce Cockburn [another who writes powerfully as usual] wrote :
“Everybody
loves to see
justice done
on somebody else”.
“Justice, Inner City Front, 1981″
Think about it. I did.
Dave
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