Praying for your enemies

[NeedImprovement]

In January of 2018 , USA Today published an article about a mother who forgave her son’s killers. It’s a pretty awesome read . . . almost as if light emanates from it.

An excerpt follows (Notable mention - the mother, a native of North Carolina is actually a Muslim who converted in her late teens) :

At a court hearing more than two years later, on Nov. 2, Rukiye – after asking Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Megan Shanahan for permission – did something courtroom veterans said they’d never seen.

She walked up to Javon, who’d just admitted involvement in her son’s death, and hugged him. She also embraced Javon’s mother.

She wanted them to know she could see beyond the act that took her son’s life.

And she pledged to do everything possible to make Javon a better man.

"His death was already ordained,” she told him. “Maybe the purpose is to save your life.”

Rukiye, who is 66, said her son’s killers are children who have mothers, like herself.

“Those young men – although they took my son’s life in the manner they did – we need to fight for them. Because they are going to come back out. And they will be older. But if they have no light, then this same disease is going to repeat itself and they are going to take another person’s child’s life and eventually their own,” Rukiye said. “And every mother’s heart must feel this.”

What can compare to a mother’s heart ?

 

[TheLittleLady]

Pray the our Father with this change:

“Forgive me my trespasses as I forgive (insert name) who has trespassed against me.”

 

[margaret42]

And forgiveness often makes me think, there’s always room to see God in the other person; that people are separate from their behavior

 

[Eric_Hyom]

Jesus was commanded to love all his neighbours as he loves himself. But how did Jesus hold out his hands on the cross and love the man with the hammer?

We know Jesus prayed forgive them Father, this seems an extreme way to demonstrate the greatest commandments. It seems that nothing should prevent you from loving your neighbour as you love yourself.