Steven Merten
Active Member
Three days after the assassination attempt on St. Pope John Paul II life, St. Pope John Paul II went to the prison, where the attempted assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca, was being held, and forgave him. St. Pope John Paul II did not let criminal Mehmet out of prison. I was amazed! I did not know that was an option! I still hear fellow Catholics glorifying and raving over how St. Pope John Paul II forgave his attacker, even now, 40 years later.
It was a friend who first excitedly told me how (now saint) Pope John Paul II had awesomely forgiven his attacker. I replied, "Wow! So did the Pope have his attempted assassin over for diner at the Vatican, to forgive him?" My friend screamed back, "He forgave his attacker! He didn't let him out of prison!" "Ok, ok! I didn't know. Sorry!", I responded.
I thought of the Captain of the Vatican Swiss Guards giving the morning meeting, three days after the Pope was hit by two bullets, from the attempted assassin's gun, and in which the Pope had almost died from. I am thinking that the Swiss Guard Captain, responsible for the Pope’s safety, would have said, “An unharmed Pope, forgiving his enemy at his enemy's funeral, is better than a Pope forgiving his enemy from behind prison bars, after the Pope suffers injury from the attacker and almost dies. Let's step up our protection of our Pope, whom we love!”
I thought it would be a good topic to discuss:
Forgiving your enemy at their funeral, or forgiving your enemy from behind prison bars, to protect yourself from personal harm, as being a perfectly Christian, Loving, thing to do.
For people out there being domestically abused by a loved one, it is perfectly Christian to call the police on a loved one, testify in court against a loved one, or even shoot a loved one, who is doing you harm, to protect yourself. Forgiving your loved one, who has abused you, from behind prison bars, is Christian love for an abusive loved one.
It was a friend who first excitedly told me how (now saint) Pope John Paul II had awesomely forgiven his attacker. I replied, "Wow! So did the Pope have his attempted assassin over for diner at the Vatican, to forgive him?" My friend screamed back, "He forgave his attacker! He didn't let him out of prison!" "Ok, ok! I didn't know. Sorry!", I responded.
I thought of the Captain of the Vatican Swiss Guards giving the morning meeting, three days after the Pope was hit by two bullets, from the attempted assassin's gun, and in which the Pope had almost died from. I am thinking that the Swiss Guard Captain, responsible for the Pope’s safety, would have said, “An unharmed Pope, forgiving his enemy at his enemy's funeral, is better than a Pope forgiving his enemy from behind prison bars, after the Pope suffers injury from the attacker and almost dies. Let's step up our protection of our Pope, whom we love!”
I thought it would be a good topic to discuss:
Forgiving your enemy at their funeral, or forgiving your enemy from behind prison bars, to protect yourself from personal harm, as being a perfectly Christian, Loving, thing to do.
For people out there being domestically abused by a loved one, it is perfectly Christian to call the police on a loved one, testify in court against a loved one, or even shoot a loved one, who is doing you harm, to protect yourself. Forgiving your loved one, who has abused you, from behind prison bars, is Christian love for an abusive loved one.
Leviticus 19 Various Rules of Conduct
You shall not go about spreading slander among your kinsmen; nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake. I am the LORD. "You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. Though you may have to reprove your fellow man, do not incur sin because of him. Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD."
You shall not go about spreading slander among your kinsmen; nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake. I am the LORD. "You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. Though you may have to reprove your fellow man, do not incur sin because of him. Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD."
Matthew 22:36
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
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