Lol....ohhhh, I hear an Irishman....just like me uncles....and me dad! Lol Good thing God made me a lady...tee hee
I guess for me true forgiveness is something that is mystical. I don't think that from a mere human persoective we can forgive the really big hurts and offenses. Sure the little one most if us can do. But ones where you or a loved are physically, spiritual, or emotionally harmed I think requires a union (most likely you don't even know it) with Christ. I think you enter into if you will a moment of Calvary where you join your cross with Christ. And it ultimately is an Act of Love. It's not just love toward the offender but really toward Christ. I often have said when I see people forgive horrendous acts committed against them that how can they do it. And I think in the end it is them but it's also Christ in them. It's ironic that to thread is up. On Good Friday, our priest homily referenced the little girl in the link below. Again, thus brave little soul and her Mom have to be so in love and in union with Jesus' suffering. It's the only way I think they and anyone can do it. It must bring such graces to all. And it must drive the evil one nuts when an act like this happen. http://www.snotr.com/video/7300/A_Lesson_in_Forgiveness
OK Gang! Time for the Cranky Old CrewDog to "Chime-In"! We have the duty to Pray For and Forgive our "Brothers in Christ" and Our Enemies ... but.... Make No Mistake!!! ... We have the absolute Right & DUTY to defend ourselves, family, friends and The Faithful from those that would do us harm... including lethal force!! This thread is about Evil Savages and the murder of Father Tom ... Don't be forgettin' that!! GOD SAVE OUR MISSIONARIES & ALL HERE!!
I think forgiveness is like a dance in a way. We must always forgive but often we are called upon to act too. I used to think that to fllowthe saints in this we had to make ourselves a kind of punching bag for all that came along, but something that happened years ago in the monastery caused me to change my mind. We had a cook there who was truly atrocious (I the poor guy was not to well mentally) . Anyway we used to get baked beans on big Feast Days like Christams and he managed to burn them, the fish on those days taste like toothpaste he poached them that long. We ate no meat but he used to get the grocer to give us the vegateable he was going to throw out so you might cut into a potato and it would be black as night. The only good thing were the bolied eggs and he turned them into solid marble he boiled them that long. The kitchen looked like a midden. It was a bog, he never cleaned it. Anyhow the Abbot asked me to cook once a week and I satrted cleaning the kitchen from top to bottom, then I baked loads of fresh bread and apple tarts. Then I'd go fro fresh fish , do it nice sauce, do french fries ect. You'd think the French Foreign Legion had arrrived after a sixty mile hike they descended on the stuff like starving locusts (which in a way I guess they were) I recall one day I did 20 apple tarts and they were gone in half an hour so I didn't get any myself. So eventually they upped it so I cooked twice a week. But boy did that cook hate me. I don't know what he hated me worse for my cooking, my baking or my making that kitchen clean. But he hated me and tried his level best to make my life just about as miserable as he ever could. At the time I looked at the saints and thought I should take it on the chin. But this situation caused me to pray to the Good Lord in Front of the Blessed Sacrament quite a lot and have long talks with the Lord. it caused me to ask loads and loads of questions. The result of this was I began to ask the Abbot questions about using a man who cooked such terrible slops and the wisdom of having him in a postion were he could give folks food poisoning. I forgave the guy, that was never the problem, but it opened my eyes to a bad situation and the need to challenge it. Or in other words it opned my eyes and made me try to kick a little ass to change things. I don't think forgiving means we have to be punch bags . We don't. Sometimes it is just to easy to stay quiet and be a punch bag. Sometimes the real courage is get off our asses and act. Sometimes we use forgiveness as an excuse not to challenge evil. Look at the child abuse crisis for instance. On occasions there is it is true nothing we can do but take it on the chin and turn the other cheek. But most times we can fight evil rather than simply enduring it. Forgiveness is not about being a jelly fish. Look at the Child Abuse Crisis in the Church. The people who should have been kicking ass sat on their hands with forgiveness as an excuse. I would say Jesus Christ was the biggest scariest hombre that ever lived and Our Lady the firghtenest Moma. Why? Because they clung to the truth. Nothing is as frightening as a person who clings to the truth and is prepared to go in with both fists to defend it. So forgive yes, but go in with hands and feet flying to defned justice and truth..and use your teeth if you have to. Don't back down and don't use forgiveness or mercy, or love as a shield to let you sit on your ass doing nothing.. If you see evil or injustice get out there and kick its ass for it.
I think you know wrods like Mercy and forgiveness can be very much misunderstood. It was Jesus Himself who said He did not come to bring Peace but the Sword. I think our Faith has to have very often a strong ,sharp hard edge to to it, if we or anyone else is to survive this hard, often brutal and deeply unjust world. Often we really do, too, as Jesus said be as subtle as the serpent and good ass kickers. Sweet Jesus, meek and mild will only carry you just so far, then you have get barking.
An awful lot of the Spiritual Life is about using our common sense. But then , there is nothing so uncommon as having sense. I just wish that those involved in the Child Abuse debacle, right uo to and including Popes had remembered this. None of them seem to have had any common sense at all.
Padraig, your cooking skills and abilities impress me. LOL And you can make bread. WOW. I think Mother Angelica would be very proud of you, especially with the getting off the butt and doing something about wrongs.
Being hungry made me work and learn Julia. Too many burnt baked beans. There used to be a little mobile library called to the monastery once a week; I got out books on baking and cooking and learnt from them. The kitchen was fine , if filthy, with good second hand hotel equipment, the apple of my eye was a giant mixer. I got permission to go into town for fresh ingredients. Funny though since I left the monastery I never could bake right . I have heard since from a Chef that baking is much harder than cooking. My piece de resistance was Danish pastries. Seeing 30 half starved men tucking in was my reward. I think our own efforts never really please, we judge ourselves too hard. I enjoyed it but the monk/cook was in such a fury with me all the time. I thought his head was going to explode. I think I made him look bad, I think I made him look awful . The gleaming kitchen didn't help much. I think he hated that worst of all.
