America Magazine’s James Martin offer these thoughts in a longer article../
As someone who worked at Ground Zero in the days and weeks following 9/11 I rejoiced to hear that Osama Bin Laden’s long reign of terror, which had dealt death, destruction and untold misery to millions across the world, had finally come to an end. ..
So I am not blind to the death and destruction caused by Osama bin Laden.
Yet Christians are in the midst of the Easter Season, when Jesus, the innocent one, not only triumphantly rose from the dead but, in his earthly life, forgave his executioners from the cross, in the midst of excruciating pain. Forgiveness is the hardest of all Christian acts. (Love, by comparison, is easier.) It is also, according to Jesus, something that is meant to have no limit. No boundaries. Peter once asked him how often he was supposed to forgive. Seven times? “Not seven times,” answered Jesus, “but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.” In other words, times without number. “Forgive your brother or sister from your heart,” he said. This is not to negate the place of judgment and justice in God’s eyes, for such a denial would mean that we believe in a God who cares not for human affairs. But judgment and punishment, says Jesus, is up to God.
So the question is whether the Christian can forgive a murderer, a mass murderer, even–as in the case of Osama bin Laden–a coordinator of mass murder across the globe. I’m not sure I would be able to do this, particularly if I had lost a loved one. But as with other “life” issues, we cannot overlook what Jesus asks of us, hard as it is to comprehend. Or to do.
… Read the full article in his blog at
What is a Christian Response to Bin Laden’s Death?
MAY 02, 2011
Tags: Bin Laden, Death, Forgiveness, James Martin
Kudos to James Martin, S.J. for reminding us that there is a Christian response to human events. Forgiveness does not mean there are no consequences to an act. It does mean, however, that the Christian always acts out of the principles of one’s own faith. Rejoicing in the death of an enemy is not one of those principles.
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” Easter is a season celebratin both light and love. May it increase today.