Today I'm grateful to people who broaden my horizons with books and movies. I was planning to use today to walk 14-16 miles in preparation for my pilgrimage but the thunder and lightning changed my plans. Instead I caught up on a couple of movies which reminded me of different kinds of walks.
I watched Iron-Jawed Angels about the struggle of women receiving the right to vote. The joy of a parade (a walk for justice) was violently interrupted by those who disagreed.
How often our journeys are interrupted by disunity, unhappiness-our own or someone else's. How often our journeys are interrupted by misstep or a wrong turn (or even the weather?)
The second movie I watched was As We Forgive. It is about the genocide in Rwanda. More to the point it is about the reconciliation that has happened following the atrocities. It is a most powerful testimony. As I watched this movie I was moved to see another sort of walk that we as humans can take. It is a walk toward forgiveness.
In the movie many of the perpetrators were released after pleading guilty and showing remorse. But the story did not end there. The movie shows more--the movement toward reconciliation takes more than that; it involves more steps, a more complete journey. The perpetrators are shown walking to the villages and sitting across from victims, family members and survivors asking forgiveness, asking for mercy. The movie pointed out the need to receive forgiveness but also of the importance for the survivors to show mercy, forgiveness in order to live. It didn't and doesn't happen easily but is an active process and takes action and work.
Reinhold Niebuhr wrote, "forgiveness is the final (or highest) form of love."
We take many walks in our lives...these two movies reminded me of two more...a parade of justice and a walk for mercy--both were hard work.
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