6:00: Morning News

Love and forgiveness triumph in church shooting

The story of Dylann Roof’s deranged murder of nine innocent people during a Bible study meeting at the Charleston AME Church has spun off in myriad directions: gun control, racism, mental illness, drug use and even confederate flags.

There are enough weighty topics, even beyond the horrific crime itself, to keep pundits spinning for weeks.  If history is an indicator, not much will change. After awhile, all the words create a kind of clutter that can confuse or even obfuscate any effort to try to make sense of it all.

But during Roof’s brief court appearance Friday afternoon, there were a few remarkable sentences spoken that penetrated that clutter and provided true meaning to the tragedy. Family members of several of the victims were allowed to speak and, in doing so, they provided comfort for those in Charleston and across the country who are hurt and shocked by the senseless attack.

The family members did not yell or curse at the hateful man that took their loved ones from them. They did not threaten him or throw themselves on the floor in agony.

No, they embraced him.

One victim’s daughter said through her tears, “I forgive you… and have mercy on your soul.  You hurt me, you hurt other people, but God forgive you and I forgive you.”

A victim’s sister said, “We’re not allowing hate to win.  I am very angry… (but) we are the family that love built. We have no room for hate.  May God bless you.”

Another called on Roof to repent.  “Give your life to the one that matters the most, Christ.   He can change your ways no matter what happened to you and you can be okay.”

The mother of one of the victims told Roof that even though every fiber in her body hurts and she’ll never be the same, “We welcome you Wednesday night in our Bible study with open arms.”

The granddaughter of another victim said, “We forgive.  Hate won’t win.”

These are the words of those hurt the most by Roof’s slaughter–forgiveness, blessings, mercy.  They are the essential messages that Jesus Christ delivered right up to the moment he died on the cross.  “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

It must have been incredibly hard for those family members to forgive Roof and pray for his soul, but in doing so they freed themselves from the burdens that come from hate and vindictiveness.  They are liberated by their faith and infused with the lessons that Christ taught.

They, at their darkest moments, practiced what has been preached.

Last Wednesday evening, Dylann Roof  appeared to have all the power.  With a demented motive and a loaded gun he struck down nine innocent people.  But it was evident at the court hearing Friday that, in fact, the real power exists in the unshakeable faith of the victims’ families and their willingness to love instead of hate and to forgive rather than seek revenge.

And there, in the midst of the physical and emotional carnage, is the Good News.





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