Forgiveness of Your Enemies. Can U do that?

I just watched the movie "The Interpreter (2005)" starring Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn on VCD yesterday afternoon. The theme of this movie was on the forgiveness of your enemies. In this film, there is an native ritual to forgive the murderer of your loved ones. In the African ‘Ku’ tribe featured in the movie, a ritual is held a year after the murder. The criminal is bound and taken by boat to the middle of a lake while the family of the victim stands on the shore. The murderer is then thrown into the lake, unable to swim. The only way that he will survive is if the family swim out to save him. This action cures the family of grief, enabling them to continue their lives in peace, whereas letting the murderer drown may satisfy their revenge, but it will cause them to grieve for the rest of their lives.

A similar ritual was produced on TV in Northern Ireland. In March 2006, BBC ran a TV series call "Facing the truth"[1], where the relatives of victims of the IRA came face to face with the men who killed their loved ones in meetings chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The idea is that the victims’ families might be able to achieve some sort of end to their grief through being able to face their enemies and shake their hands in forgiveness. The episode featured the widow and brother of Dermot Hackett meeting his killer, Michael Stone. After the meeting, the widow Sylvia Hackett was asked whether she now thought it was the right thing to meet Michael Stone. Sylvia said[2], "I had waited a long time for this day and it had given me a ‘little bit of healing. It's been like a life sentence for me and the girls. This was something I just had to do. To show him I'm not just this bitter woman who everybody thinks I'm going to be. I do feel sorry for him. But it was my way of showing I'm a Christian.’

It is indeed very hard to forgive your enemies. I feel that too. But these scripture kept on flashing on my mind.
"Peter came up to the Lord and asked, "How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?" Jesus answered: Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times! - Mat 18:21-22. (CEV)"

‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven’ (Matthew 5.44).

[3] Paul added in Romans that where revenge is required, God’s people need to put their trust in his judgment: ‘It is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him: if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals on his head.’

It's time for forgive.. eh?

[1] Eleanor Margesson(Mar 2006), "Forgiveness on the screen", UK Cross Map Life; http://uk.life.crossmap.com/article/forgiveness.on.the.screen/95.htm

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