At a recent event hosted by St. James, Immaculee Ilibagiza spoke of her experience during the Rwandan genocide. She described hiding in a bathroom with seven other women for 91 days while death squads slaughtered her people, the Tutsi. She realized that her family were in all likelihood among those killed. As she tried to pray she realized that in all honesty she could not pray the Lord’s Prayer since she had no desire to “forgive those who trespass against us.” So she prayed the prayer without that line — and waited for the grace of forgiveness to come. In time it did and she moved from the desire for revenge toward reconciliation.
