Forgive but don't forget........

I was reading an article this morning in Peacesigns, a Mennonite peace an justice ezine. The autor of the article Leo Hartshorn was reviewing Miroslav Volf's book, The End of Memory: Remembering Rightly in a Violent World (Eerdmans, 2006). "The way we remember abuse or wrongs done can be either destructive or healing. Destructive memory fuels further anger, hatred, and vengeance. What Christians need is an approach to memory that is healing and reconciling. Elie Wiesel, a holocaust survivor, once suggested that salvation lies in memory." Leo says in his article as he reflects on the book.

As I checked out the international news this week one of the articles was about a ten minute Youtube video produced by a radical islamic group calling for "virtual" jihad against all westerners. It includes video clip after clip of war atrocities, perpetrated by westerners, including the recent abu ghraib prison scandal, but also the UN handover of the Bosnian's to the Serbian's and the resulting genocide. The video was anti semetic, calling for the destruction of the Jewish state. I watched most of this video and prayed for these people, for the trauma, the hurt, the memories, the indignities that they have suffered, asking God for national wisdom, compassion, understanding and mercy towards these people on our part and on the part of other western nations. I prayed for those who call for jihad against me because I am a western Christian and therefore in their eyes deserve to be wiped off the face of the earth.

That memory and healing interest me is an understatement because a dear loved one has post traumatic stress disorder. We are called as Christians to remember a grusome act as often as we assemble together, "This is my body broken for you," and "This is my blood of the new covenant shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins..." Jesus's word to us, His church. He wants us to remember acts of torture and violence done to Him, not for violence and to perpetrate jihad but to reframe the memory into "right remembering" that will lead ro reconcilliation and peace. In right remembering you do not demonize the perpetrator of violence but attempt to recall events "truthfully without exaggeration or injustice against the perpetrators" according to Leo's article. I sadly did not see right remembering in the islamic jihad video. Where is the Islamic voice for truth I wonder? The article goes on to say that " Right remembering also involves not allowing traumatic memories to dominate our identity, but reframing those memories for personal healing, having the truth of the traumas acknowledged, utilizing traumatic memories as a means of solidarity with victims and as an impetus for protecting victims from further violence."

In the story of the cross we are further asked to remember rightly that the wrongs we have done, or ever will do, are laid at the foot of the cross, and that these wrongs are every bit as hurtful and traumatic as the violence the Divine Son suffered at Calvary. We are asked to reframe that in the light of Christ's forgiveness, his love for enemies and the hope for communion and reconciliation. "Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?" that was me at one time as well. Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.