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Viewpoint McVeigh will meet unimaginable mercy
By RON ASHMORE
When the Oklahoma City bombing took
place, I was on sabbatical in Jerusalem. I was just about to walk over to
Calvary, the place where tradition tells us Jesus died, when the news broke.
After watching the news, I walked over to the Old City and into the Church of
the Holy Sepulcher where Calvary is located. I thought of those who lost their
lives and of their families; I thought of the then-unknown person who had
bombed the building.
I knelt down before the altar that commemorates the death of Jesus
and remained in silence for a long time, with the victims and whoever did it
held in the silent prayer of my heart. No words, just sadness of heart, waiting
for the Lord to speak. Slowly, Jesus words came into my heart:
Father, forgive them. Forgive whom, Lord? Forgive
them.
In silence I listened. Those who are dead are already with
me in the joy and peace of the Kingdom. In the embrace of my mercy, they have
already forgiven the one who killed them. They await his arrival to invite him
to sit down with them for a wonderful meal on the holy mountain of God like the
prophet Isaiah spoke of. He will be surprised, but they are waiting for him
with love and joy. It will take time for their families to realize the
immensity of my love. Their pain, tears, anger, vengeful rage do not exist
here. Everyone came here so quickly, it surprised them. And the little children
are so happy. They want to sit down on his lap and give him a hug. You, their
families and he can hardly imagine the power of Gods mercy that is
everything here. Here, my loving forgiveness makes everyone see things in a new
way. You and they will learn it. Just remember, forgive them.
That was the dialogue of prayer seven years ago in Jerusalem the
day of the bombing.
Six years later, I again approached Calvary in the prayer of Holy
Week. But this time, having worked in the U.S. Federal Penitentiary, I have met
Tim McVeigh. I have met Bud Welch, who lost his daughter on April 19, 1995, and
heard his story. On the other side, daily I hear the anger, the hate and the
rage of others toward Tim. It surrounds me on all sides. How would I have ever
known six years ago that today I would be in Terre Haute, Ind., a neighbor a
five-minute drive away from Tim McVeigh?
Only the mysterious providence of God could have unfolded this. So
this year I approached Calvary again in the prayer of Good Friday and I heard
the same words I heard six years ago: Forgive them. Something
profound has changed in my life. The immense mystery of Gods love, his
rich mercy, has forever changed my heart, day by day more deeply, and this year
more deeply than ever.
This Holy Week I celebrated Gods redemptive love again. This
Holy Week, St. Margaret Mary Parish, within whose boundary Tim McVeigh lives,
celebrated Gods redemptive love in an unforgettable way. In Terre Haute,
on May 16, Tim McVeigh will be executed for the bombing. Unlike six years ago
in Jerusalem, now there is a personal face to much of the story.
Daily I remember the victims families and pray for their
healing. I embrace Tim McVeigh as my brother and await with sadness his
execution. But I often dream of the children sitting on Tims lap and
giving him a warm hug and saying to him, Lets go to the banquet
now. There are 168 of us who have prepared it for you. We have been waiting. It
is good to have you home.
How powerful is Gods rich, forgiving love. It changes our
hearts and our lives.
Fr. Ron Ashmore is pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Terre
Haute, Ind.
National Catholic Reporter, May 18,
2001
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