Posted on 03/10/2012 7:13:38 PM PST by LadyDoc
It has been nearly five years since I bade farewell to El Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur...
There is, I have been told, an Eastern Orthodox tradition that glorifies the ascetic and contemplative serenity that is found in the wilderness in general and the desert in particular. When I reflect on the sand-swept austerity of Darfur and the spiritual wealth that abounded there, I begin to comprehend that wisdom....
(in a talk with a peacekeeper from Rwanda, the author is told) “Our horror started through hate and indifference. It has ended with love and forgiveness. That is a miracle on a scale that is almost never seen. Yet many in the world are blind to such miracles. It was the hand of God, through the Blessed Mother’s intervention, that saved Rwanda — and that I believe with all my heart. Indifference has been erased in Rwanda. When it was all said and done, there could be no indifference. It was too personal. Just as our brutality was personal, our recovery was personal.
“Men asked for forgiveness face-to-face. We deal with our countrymen who committed the atrocities on a village level. If a man killed his neighbor, he goes to the family and asks for forgiveness. The village council will decide a penance; usually the man will work as a laborer for that family for a prescribed period of time. Once the penance is complete, the man is free. In this way, he can see the consequences of his crime by interacting with the family, and the family can see their former oppressor in a state of humility...
(Excerpt) Read more at newoxfordreview.org ...
That.....was something. Thank you for posting this.
That was profound, thank you so much for posting it. I kept a copy.
Read the books by Immaculee Illibagiza
Left to Tell
Our Lady of Kibeho
Led by Faith
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