Amish Grace

Last night, we watched the movie "Amish Grace" based on a true story of shooting and murder of young girls in an Amish school in 2006 in the U.S. I wish to thank Fr. Youhanna Hanna for recommending the movie and assisting us in showing it. Thanks also to Fr. Georges Farah for his support and open-mind.

A Christian person Charles Roberts, having a grudge against God for taking his little daughter, went on a killing spree taking the lives of 5 young girls and injuring another 5. He then immediately killed himself. The Amish community responded with forgiveness of the murderer. But the event clearly showed the inner struggle for forgiveness in the heart of one person (Aida) in this small community as she was dealing with such tragedy when her own daughter (Mary Beth) was murdered together with other young girls by an outsider (Charles nicknamed Charlie).  The harsh response “Why me” descended upon that heart for, as a mother, she loved her own kids.  It reminded me of the harsh suffering that Mary the mother of Christ went through as she watched her own son unjustly crucified and murdered by the mob of Jewish leaders and Roman authorities in Palestine 20 centuries ago. The victim or scapegoat is the one whose death cries to heaven for justice, but Christ forgave his crucifiers and murderers without asking for their repentance. He who is God in the flesh became, for us and the world, the sacrifice. And, following in his footsteps, the little community dared to forgive the murderer. But the events raised more questions.  

Aida was reluctant to forgive Charles and indeed to forgive God for allowing the murder of her beloved eldest daughter!  The courage to question unexamined tradition is a sign of integrity. Aida was going to be “shunned” by the community elders (i.e. excommunicated) if she persisted in her rebellion, separated herself and joined her shunned sister in Philadelphia. It is here that I find one of the most illuminating points: Aida said to her husband Gideon, who was a loyal Amish, that she could not understand how the Amish community could forgive Charles while they could not forgive her sister for leaving them earlier. Gideon’s answer had come earlier when he said in a meeting of bereaved parents that forgiveness does not mean pardon of Charles. Charles, according to Gideon, is judged by a just God. It was for the sake of peace in the hearts of the families that forgiveness was necessary. Hatred eats hearts and leaves no room for forgiveness, he said to his young second daughter, a 10 years-old kid who had lost her elder sister Mary Beth in the massacre – She answered him “May be I can hate him a bit then forgive him”!

Aida was leaving the Amish community except that she got news that Rebecca in hospital wanted to speak to her. Rebecca, a 10 years-old kid, was with Mary Beth and the other children killed or injured in the massacre. Rebecca recovered in hospital and was able to tell what she saw. In Rebecca’s testimony to Aida and Gideon, Mary Beth asked “Charlie” to kill her first, as she was 14 - the eldest in the children.  She said to him that she will pray for him and that she forgives him even though he is killing her. That was the moment when Aida’s heart melted and her attitude changed from hate to acceptance. She loved Mary-Beth and wanted now to imitate her. In spite of her suffering, Aida offered reconciliation to her enemy’s wife.

How much of true love do we have and how eager are parents/children and society in general for forgiveness against vengeance for murdered innocents? How much do we get our children to learn the moral imperative of love and forgiveness by imitation? Penance includes a return to forgiveness. The real story is truly a heart-breaking event for every civilized human. And ironically the lesson comes from a community that still lives in the simple agricultural age, without any technology.  

I saw in this event how hard it is to really forgive. We rediscover the prayer that the Lord taught us which all Christians know “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” How hard is it to be in heaven? It is easy to praise God when we are in good health and enjoying a good life, but once the storm hits the boat, we cry out like Peter and ask for deliverance. If the storm swallows us or our beloved ones it becomes extremely difficult to praise God at this moment. The devotional “Hail Mary” prayer is quite appropriate as we ask Mary the Mother of God to “pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.” The Akathyst prayer is also intended for Mary’s intercession with her Son our Lord for us selfish creatures.

There is no limit to God’s forgiveness. Yet we must participate in it by forgiving everyone. This is a message too to the Catholic Church in Rome and the rest of the world. Throughout history, heretics and enemies of the Church committed doctrinal or moral errors by actions or through published-thought probably driven by rivalry or probably by good intentions that were not properly resolved. But the Church, in the footsteps of the “good pastor” Blessed Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI and Blessed Pope John Paul II, needs to forgive them and remove any remaining excommunications against them; for they too belong to God our Father.