No canonized saint ever held a grudge upon their death. The martyrs even forgave their killers, imitating Jesus who said from the cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Exorcists report being blocked from helping victims of the demonic if they hold onto unforgiveness; forgiveness, on the other hand, unleashes the power of God to drive out evil. Jesus told us that “the measure with which you measure will be measured back to you” in Matthew 7:2 and “…forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those, who trespass against us” in the Our Father. Colossians 3:13 commands us to forgive grievances using Christ’s example as the standard: “…forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
Martyrs Forgave Their Killers
The Church’s martyrs didn’t just die for their faith; they forgave their murderers. St. Stephen, a deacon to the apostles who was stoned to death, prayed, “’Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’” (Acts 7:59-60).
St. Maria Goretti (1890–1902) was an 11-year-old Italian girl stabbed 14 times by her neighbor, Alessandro Serenelli, after resisting sexual assault. She clung to life for 24 hours, repeatedly forgiving Serenelli. “For the love of Jesus, I forgive him, and I want him to be with me in Paradise,” she cried. Serenelli experienced conversion in prison after seeing Maria in a dream offering him 14 lilies. He repented and ultimately attended her canonization in 1950.
Blessed Miguel Pro forgave his executioners before facing a firing squad on November 23, 1927, during the religious persecution of the Church in Mexico. “He cried out, ‘May God have mercy on you! May God bless you! Lord, You know that I am innocent! With all my heart I forgive my enemies!’ He then rose, faced the firing squad, extended his arms as if on a cross, and prayed in a loud voice, ‘Viva Cristo Rey!’”
Ordinary Lives Transformed
Ordinary people have experienced transformation in their pain when they were led by Jesus to forgive. Jennifer Hubbard in her book, Finding Sanctuary: How the Wild Work of Peace Restored the Heart of a Sandy Hook Mother, shared how her painful journey had ignited parts of her souls which eventually led to the unthinkable—forgiveness of the one who had taken her precious daughter in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012. She and 25 other kindergarteners were victims of a school shooting.
“On a purely human level, it is impossible to imagine being able to heal from the devastation of kneeling on the frozen earth beside your baby’s grave,” Hubbard wrote. “However, recovery and healing are not only possible but also promised for those who offer their sufferings back to the One who suffered for us. For some, the pain and hurt run so deep, they cannot bear to find a way out.” She begged readers with that mindset to sit with her “in the unexpected places where graces are afforded, peace is found, and hearts are transformed” to restore their footing in “ways and places we never could have imagined.”
Jess Echeverry was shocked when a priest told her to pray for the two men who had sexually assaulted her. She was a convert to the Faith and had gone to therapy trying to overcome the trauma. The priest asked if she wanted to see those men in heaven one day. She did not. It seemed unthinkable, she wrote in Dazzled: Finding the Key to Perfect Forgiveness.
Still, Echeverry reluctantly agreed to pray for the men. At the end of two years, she was shocked at the sudden, unexpected feeling of love and forgiveness she had for them. “Lord, you did it!” she cried. It was God’s supernatural power working through her obedience of praying for her offenders, so that today, she continues to pray for them. Echeverry attests that by allowing Jesus to transform our wounds, we experience a complete forgiveness that frees us.
Persecutors as Benefactors
Servant of God Don Dolindo Rutolo (1882-1970) an Italian priest from Naples known for his holiness and authoring the Surrender Novena, went beyond forgiveness; he thanked God for his persecutors. Padre Pio expressed admiration for him, once telling a pilgrim from Naples: “Why do you come here, if you have Don Dolindo in Naples? Go to him, he’s a saint!”
In the book Jesus, I Surrender Myself to You: The Life of Don Dolindo Ruotolo by his niece Grazia Ruotolo, we learn of his complete trust in God even amid persecutions. He drew strength from the Eucharist, the Blessed Mother, and his own deep humility. “What moves me most is thinking about the generosity and tenderness with which Don Dolindo, truly in the image and likeness of Jesus, forgave his accuser,” his niece recalled.
He had written a massive 33-volume commentary on Holy Scripture, alongside numerous spiritual works. He was accused by other priests of heresy in his writings that resulted in years of being denied celebrating Mass or preaching. Grazia explained: “He could hear the devil’s sneering voice: ‘See what has happened to you for writing about God? Wouldn’t it have been better if you had listened to me and stopped?’”
Her uncle did not see the triumph of evil, but rather a painful path to a greater good as the example of Jesus’ own life. When questioned by his followers about his kindness of even visiting his slanderers, he wrote them: “I have never felt so much love for them…They are my benefactors!” He believed they gave him the opportunity to love and be merciful, so thus, they were a gift to his soul.
Don Dolindo taught that forgiveness requires surrendering our pain to Jesus, letting Him handle the offense. The powerful prayer he wrote that has spread far and wide centers on that teaching: O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
