Yitzak Rabin
was Israel’s 5th Prime Minister. On November 4, 1995 he was
assassinated after attending a Peace Rally. Two bullets hit his chest. He was
rushed to the hospital but died on the operating table due to loss of blood.
Nurses found a blood-stained paper on his chest pocket containing the lyrics of
the famous Israeli song of peace.
All his
life, Rabin was a soldier and military leader. He was a brilliant planner and
strategist. He hated and fought the Arabs all his life. Slowly, he became
military Chief of Staff and Prime Minister. But on his 2nd term as
Prime Minister, he realized that hatred and fighting were vain. He got tired of
fighting. Hatred only continued the cycle of violence and blood-shed. He saw
that the only way to peace was forgiveness!
In 1993, he
negotiated with the famous Palestinian Liberation Organization Leader, Yasser
Arafat. The year after, in 1994, they made the historic hand-shake. Both
leaders began the process of peace. But not everybody was happy. Eventually it
brought about his assassination.
The Gospel
brings out the lesson on forgiveness. Peter asks Jesus: how many times will he
forgive an erring brother, seven times? But Jesus demands: not seven times… but
seventy times seven times. This means: many times. Always. Endless!
There are
three reasons why forgiveness is important:
1. Forgiveness is Powerful. By keeping
anger, hatred and resentment in your heart, you enemy has power over you. You
allow your enemy to control you. But forgiveness sets you free. Forgiveness is
power because it can change your life; it can change the world. Jesus broke the
cycle of hate and built a civilization of forgiveness and love.
2. Forgiveness is Healthy. We know
Tom Cruise as a very successful actor. He has the looks, money and fame. We think
he’s got everything. Yet he also had a sad story to tell. He grew up in poverty
with an abusive father dominating the family. Because his mother had three jobs
and was too busy providing for her family, he was dyslexic (not able to read). Yet
Tom did not let these limitations define his life. He moved on. It is told that
when his dad was dying, he asked forgiveness for his past. But he had already
forgiven him a long time ago. He chose the way to freedom; he chose the way to
peace. Forgiveness allows us to move on without anger or contempt. A writer
said: if you have revenge in your heart, you are actually digging two grave –
for your enemy and for yourself!
3. Forgiveness is Divine. We often
hear it said: “to err is human; to forgive is divine. Forgiveness makes us
noble. It makes us share God’s extraordinary quality – it makes us godly.
Jesus challenges us to become
channels and instruments of his mercy and compassion by practicing unconditional
forgiveness.
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