Radical Forgiveness

Pope John Paul II was an incredible leader of the Church that we are all lucky to have had as Pope in our lifetime. Despite almost being killed, Pope John Paul II forgave the attempted murderer. His strength of character and trust in God led him to forgiving the man who inflicted suffering on him. This story is similar to Immaculee's because she also forgave the man who succeeded in killing her family. These two people exemplify Christian ideals and uphold God's image in modern times. 

How's the World Messy?

      In our world today, we hear tragic and terrible news stories daily, almost to the point that it becomes second nature to expect something bad when we turn on the television. I specifically hear of injustice that occurs in the Middle Eastern countries because our troops are in Iraq and Afghanistan, but suffering occurs even in our own communities. When I hear these terrible new headlines, I am shocked but do not feel that I can make a difference because they occur so far away. However when I hear of injustice in school or the suffering of a friend, I try to help in any way I can. For example, towards the beginning of high school one of my friends was very sick for an extended period of time. She consistently missed school and felt stressed because of her inability to cure her illness and the immense workload she had to make up. As her best friend, I did my best to keep her on track with fulfilling her course work and also keep her spirits up by visiting her when she was sick.
        I think the Gospel tells us we need to respond to the call of injustice and suffering in our whole world, not just the small world we live in. In stories such as the Good Samaritan, God demonstrates that even strangers need our love and grace. One of the main messages in the Gospel is to care for the dear neighbor and respect everyone's dignity by serving others.
       As the articles suggests, we should not feel guilty because of the pain and suffering in our world. Conversely, we should act on our feelings and be proactive citizens. Many people are shocked by the intolerance in the world, however, very little people act on these feelings. In order to improve our society, we need to be sensitive of the universal needs of humanity.