Radical Forgiveness

The story of Pope John Paul II forgiving his attempted killer, Mehmet Ali Agca, seems at first very radical, but it actually showcases exactly what God calls us to do. God requires us to love everyone, not just those that are easy to love, and forgiveness is essential to love. Just as Jesus loved and welcomed sinners, and tried to help them towards a holy place, so must we do the same with criminals. The Pope's story is very similar to Immaculee's story, although I would say that Immaculee was even more "radical" than the Pope in forgiving her family's killers. First of all, the Pope was a holy figure head, and very educated in God's plan and hopes for us. Although Immaculee studied the Bible and prayed a lot, she was just a normal person, whereas the Pope was a clergyman. Second, Agca was not actually successful in killing the Pope, so no one actually died. Finally, it was probably harder for Immaculee to forgive the killers, because they killed her family, and we are always more protective about our loved ones than ourselves. Still, both situations show that no matter how hard it is, it is always possible to forgive someone that hurt us or our loved ones.