Ariel castro

[donna369]

i don’t want to kill him. i think justice is better done by allowing him to live in prison for the remainder of his life, which will likely be short. but i have hatred for this sick man, i do feel that doing him harm would be good.
this can’t be right for me to hold these feelings can it? is it ok for me to have this hard feeling for him? or should my revulsion and anger be aimed at what he did to those poor girls and exclude him as a person? how do i let go of such strong negative emotions? what are the consequences to me for harboring such feelings? how are the rest of you reacting to this man and his upcoming trial with 977 counts of criminal activity? i need answers please.

 

[St_Francis]

There but for the grace of God go I.

Yep. Who knows what I would be had I been in this man’s shoes? With all the great gifts God has given me, I am still a sinner.

So, whenever I feel angry with someone, I try to remember to pray for them, for their conversion or reconciliation with God.

You knkw St Therese of Lisieux? She prayed for the conversion of a notorious criminal in France, a man who was going to be executed. He was offered the chance to meet with a priest and refused, but at the end, the criminal on his way to be executed grabbed someone’s crucifix and kissed it.

God loves each of us, even those who commit terribly heinous crimes.

 

[CarolNoel]

What a sad specimen of a human being he is. I hope he asks God and those he hurt for forgiveness and truly realizes how awful he has been. A special Hail Mary for him.

 

[clem456]

i don’t want to kill him. i think justice is better done by allowing him to live in prison for the remainder of his life, which will likely be short. but i have hatred for this sick man, i do feel that doing him harm would be good.
this can’t be right for me to hold these feelings can it? ** is it ok for me to have this hard feeling **for him? or should my revulsion and anger be aimed at what he did to those poor girls and exclude him as a person? how do i let go of such strong negative emotions? what are the consequences to me for harboring such feelings? how are the rest of you reacting to this man and his upcoming trial with 977 counts of criminal activity? i need answers please.

A feeling is a feeling. You can let go of it. Watch something else instead of the news. Sometimes we feel that if we are not keeping track of these things the perpetrator will get away with it. But justice will be served even we are not watching the news. If you stew in your feelings, you may find anger and hatred in there. Make a choice to do something else.

 

[marymary1975]

While I am usually all into forgiving and trying to understand people, there are certain situations like with this man that get me really angry. What angered me the most was when he said that everything was the girl’s fault because they let themselves get kidnapped, he didn’t do anythiiiing wrong, they got in the car so it is all their fault is like excuse me, you still think you didn’t do anything wrong ?!?!?!?! All I can say is that this man has a serious problem in his head and I hope he never gets out of jail.

 

[donna369]

i don’t even have it in me to concentrate all my energy on this man. i pray that he comes to understand what he has done and repent. i pray these women recover and have good lives. i pray not to harbor hatred in my heart.
and then i watch wife swap.
i am happy every time i realize i am not a vengeful person and do not hold grudges. i have learned to let things go. and to turn to God (hopefully) when things are just too much.
but i will most likely pay attentio to this trial.

 

[Robert_Sock]

Many of the great Saints believed that letting a person suffer was a good thing to do because it would lead them to soul searching. I do not believe in allowing a person to suffer, but I believe that time in prison would certainly be better than the immoral death penalty. Moreover, I think the time in prison may allow him time to truly repent of his wrong doings. OTOH, I hold no hatred for the person. I truly forgive him, and would like nothing better than to see him truly repent.

Forgiveness is a tough virtue to master, but once you see the wisdom in doing so, it’s bound to bring great spiritual healing and elevate the spirit. We must find the means to eliminate hatred in our hearts. It can be done with proper reflection and meditation on the Gospels.

The Golden Rule states, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you!” Our forgiving everyone, especially those we consider our enemies or adversaries, is to demonstrate to God that we are worthy of His forgiveness. Likewise, to find love for all our enemies and adversaries is to demonstrate to God that we have suffered long enough with our hatred, and we are ready to receive His love.

Again, to experience the true power and wisdom contained within the virtue of forgiveness is to develop great spiritual growth!