Words.

                A difficult question was raised by Simon Wiesenthal, "You are a prisoner in a concentration camp. A dying Nazi soldier asks for your forgiveness. What would you do?"

                People like to throw around words. We do it to socialize, to inspire, and sometimes even to hate. Some words though are so heavy that we need to take a step back and truly reflect on what they actually mean.  When attempting to answer this question there are certain words that need to be defined first.

                Vengeance. Vengeance as defined by Cynthia Ozick is "the act of bringing public justice to evil, not by imitating the evil, not by initiating a new evil, but by making certain never to condone the old one; never even appearing to condone it."  Vengeance as defined by the Catholic Church is "the infliction of punishment on someone who has done moral wrong. In this sense, only God has the right to avenge wrong doing."

                Cynthia Ozicks visualization of vengeance is the epitome of the mind set one should have when forgiveness is not even an option. To condone, upon her thinking, is too easy. Ozick states,"It blurs over suffering and death. It drowns the past. It cultivates sensitiveness toward the murderer at the price of insensitiveness toward the victim."

                Let's define forgiveness. Ozicks definition is simple-Forgiveness is pitiless. It is showing more compassion towards the murderer than the victim.

                The Catholic Church states," Forgiveness is the pardon or remission of an offense."  What some people may say is the "easy" way out isn't always necessarily true. Asking for forgiveness at times can be the most difficult thing. It implies having to contemplate  the inner most faults within one person, and most often that person is yourself. As human beings it is very natural to feel that forgiveness is too easy. We want to avenge those who were hurt, we want others to feel the pain that we felt, and at times we may even want blood to be spilt so that persons pain may not be in vain. 

                                                                Here's another word. Compassion.

                Acting out as a result of anger or revenge may cause a sense of compassion to be lost. Without compassion there is no humanity. If I may be so bold, a person who brutally beats an innocent human being or kills those who have not done wrong, hold no compassion,  some Nazi soldiers were exactly that! They had no compassion so that made them seem like had no humanity.

                There is a call to action. We must remember  to remain in tune with all the emotions God gave us, but with caution. We must continue to have compassion for those who may be our enemies because that way we may maintain our humanity. We must forgive. Forgiveness will prevent us from becoming the monster who may have deeply harmed us. As a very wise man once said, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father." If we do not forgive , slowly, we will become exactly what we hate most.

                To answer the question,  what would you do??  I would simply use my words.

                                                                                I forgive you.