“Be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” (Matthew 9:2)
The Ten Booms were a very devout, Dutch family. One might say that they didn’t “practice” their Christian faith but were “experts;” living their faith seriously, solemnly and with zealous nature. This led them to hide Jewish refugees in their home during World War II, in Nazi occupied Holland. When someone eventually turned the Ten Boom family in to the Gestapo, soldiers came, beat, brutalized and arrested the entire Ten Boom family and shipped them off to Ravensbrück Concentration Camp. There they were continuously interrogated, mercilessly beaten, starved, and literally worked to death. Only one member of their family, a daughter, Corrie, survived.
Being such a committed follower of Christ, after the war Corrie went on many speaking tours testifying as to how God’s love helped her survive her ordeal and overcome her pain.
When she was invited to return to and speak at Ravensbrück, Corrie gave an exceptionally stirring testimonial. One of those who came to listen to her happened to be the cruelest guard assigned to the camp. The man didn’t recognize Corrie, but she instantly recognized him, and when He came and extended his hand to tell her how sorry he was for the role he played at the camp, Corrie froze as the memories of how he had treated the prisoners flashed through her mind. Then…with great difficulty Corrie did the hardest thing she’d ever done in her life: She shook his hand.
Later, when asked about the incident, Corrie said, “It was by God’s love that I was able to survive, and by His divine love that I was able to forgive. Hatred can put you in a worse prison than the one my family and I endured. If Christ was able to forgive those who persecuted Him, who am I not to follow my Lord’s example?”
As we learn in today’s gospel lesson, the greatest aspect of Christian love is found in forgiveness: God’s forgiveness of us and our forgiveness of others; this is even mandated in the Lord’s Prayer. Therefore, it we are not willing to forgive and “turn the other cheek” as Christ instructs, we are NOT His true followers; we might be physically alive, but in reality, spiritually and morally dead.
