大象传媒

Good morning.

Not long ago a woman called Eva Kors made news both in the United States and in the UK.听 She is a survivor of Auschwitz, and of the听 experiments of Doctor Mengele.听 Her twin sister died twenty two years ago as a direct result of those experiments.听 Kors made news because she both met and publicly forgave a man called Oskar Gr枚ning, a former Nazi who has recently stood trial for his war crimes.听 The process which led to this encounter began some years ago when she had an earlier encounter with one of Mengele鈥檚 colleagues.听 She found that not only could she forgive him but she both wanted and needed to forgive him in order to free herself from what she called her 鈥渧ictimhood鈥�.听 Kors makes a very clear distinction between reconciliation and forgiveness 鈥� for the former you need two participants, for the latter you only need one 鈥� yourself.听 It is I who have the power to forgive, it is in my own gift, not anyone else鈥檚.听 What Kors wrote reminded me of the prayer I read many years ago 鈥� a prayer found on a scrap of paper beside the body of a dead child in the concentration camp of Ravensbr眉ck.听 鈥淥 Lord, remember not only the men and women of good will, but also those of ill will.听 But do not remember all the suffering they have inflicted on us, remember the fruits that we have bought thanks to this suffering 鈥� our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart that has come out of all this, and when they come to the judgement let all the fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness鈥�.听 If we could all live in that way what a different world it would be.听 Amen.

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