The movie, Hotel Rwanda, tells the dramatic story of the genocide in Rwanda. In 1994 hundreds of thousands of Rwandans were brutally murdered in an decades long civil war.. The majority Hutus were primarily responsible for the slaughter of the minority Tutsi people. These killings were reprisals for perceived injustices by the Tutsis towards the Hutus when they were given greater power under Belgian occupation in the early part of the 20th century. Ethnically motivated violence continued following Rwanda’s independence in 1962 culminating in the genocide in ’94.
The genocide ended when a Tutsi led civil war toppled the insurgency, returning order to the country. The expected outcome of the change in power was a continuation of the reprisals, this time against the Hutus. But that is not what occurred. Instead a coalition government was established with a Hutu as its President and a Tutsi, Paul Kagame, as its Vice President. Later, Kagame would be elected as the country’s President. The killing stopped. And while the government of Kagame is not perfect by any means, the forgiveness of the atrocities from 1994 has led to the growth and flourishing of the east African nation.
My daughter visited Rwanda several years ago and reported how beautiful and progressive the country was. She also went to a memorial site at a church. During the genocide Hutus rounded up hundreds of Tutsis and moved them into a church promising them safety. Instead the soldiers went to the roof shooting through the roof into the church killing all inside. The site was left as it was on the day of the massacre so that all can remember what was done on that day. And the power that forgiveness has.
On a more personal level, the story of Catholic priest, Fr. Ubald Rugirangoga, in some ways reflects the national story. Fr. Ubald was a priest in Rwanda during the genocide and lost 45,000 parishioners and 80 members of his family, including his Mother. He fled to the Congo but later returned to his diocese once the war had ended. He discovered that the man who had murdered his Mother was in prison and the man’s wife was killed leaving his children as orphans. Not only did Fr. Ubald forgive the man for his actions but he took the man’s children under his care, including paying for their education. When their Father was released from prison he and Fr. Ubald went to work in helping the country to heal and be reconciled. Fr. Ubald died this year but his legacy of forgiveness and healing continue and his words live on in a book he wrote before his death. The book is aptly titled, “Forgiveness Makes You Free”.
In today’s first reading from Genesis we see the same spirit in Joseph. His brothers are in Egypt with Joseph. Jacob, their Father, has died. The brothers fear that Joseph, free from their Father’s protection, will now take out reprisals on them for their actions against Joseph years before. They even fabricate a story that Jacob at his deathbed told them to go to Joseph and beg forgiveness for their wrongdoings. They assume, as did the Hutus in Rwanda after the genocide, that Joseph would extract his vengeance on his brothers thus sealing the continued cycle of violence.
But what they get instead are tears from Joseph and forgiveness. Not only does he forgive their actions but he, in a sense, praises them. For if it were not for their selling Joseph into slavery, Joseph would not have wound up in Egypt as the Pharaoh’s right hand man and, therefore, he was able to save them all from famine. He credited God for turning harm into good. Forgiveness makes you free
I have heard the line that says something like, wishing evil on an enemy is likely drinking poison and expecting it to harm the other person. Instead, the hatred only serves to cause harm to yourself. In most cases the person you are harboring ill will towards is not even giving it a second thought. Or worse, they return evil with evil. Thus continuing the hate.
Forgiveness free you from that cycle of hate. It was impossible for the extreme evil seen in the genocide of Rwanda to result in peace and prosperity. How could one forgive your family being wiped out. Your friends being brutally murdered. It IS impossible…for man. But nothing is impossible…for God.
Forgiveness Makes You Free
