"And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any:" (Mark 11:25 KJV).
"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. (20) Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. (21) Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:19-21 KJV).
Pray for a lady who recognizes a moral shortcoming.
From a London Telegraph article, Vicar who can't forgive steps down from pulpit :
Vicar who can't forgive steps down from pulpit [/] By Richard Savill [/] (Filed: 07/03/2006)
A vicar whose daughter was killed in the London bombings has resigned because she finds it hard to forgive the men who carried out the suicide attacks. [/] The Rev Julie Nicholson, priest-in-charge of St Aidan with St George church, Bristol, said she was struggling to reconcile her feelings with her position. [/] Mrs Nicholson has not returned to her post since July 7 when her 24-year-old daughter Jenny, a gifted musician, was among more than 50 people killed. [/] She repeats the name of her daughter's killer, Mohammed Sidique Khan, bitterly every day.
"I rage that a human being could choose to take another human's life. I rage that someone should do this in the name of a God," she said. "I find that utterly offensive. [/] "We have heard a lot about things causing certain groups of people offence and I would say that I am hugely offended that someone should take my daughter in the name of a religion or a God. [/] "I have a certain amount of pity, the fact that four young people felt that this was something they had to do. But I certainly don't have any sense of compassion.
"Can I forgive them for what they did? No, I cannot. And I don't wish to. I said in the early weeks and still now say the name of my daughter's murderer, Mohammed Sidique Khan, every day. [/] "I believe that there are some things in life which are unforgiveable by the human spirit. We are all faced with choice and those four human beings on that day chose to do what they did." [/] She added: "I will leave potential forgiveness for whatever is after this life. I will leave that in God's hands. I take Jenny with me every inch of the way so, although physically her body has gone from this world, the essence of her is very much in the world. And as long as I have life then the spirit of Jenny will have life."
Mrs Nicholson said: "Forgiving another human being for violating your child is almost beyond human capabilities. It is very difficult for me to stand behind an altar and celebrate the Eucharist and lead people in words of peace and reconciliation and forgiveness when I feel very far from that myself." [/] She added: "If someone were to say to me that my ability to forgive Jenny's killer would end the violence I could probably find the courage to do it. But I am not sure in my heart I would believe it."
Of her decision to step down, she said: "Part of my recovery was a search for a way through all this. I have really, really struggled. I have always been very in awe and humbled by those who stand up and say from a faith perspective, 'I forgive'. I read more books on forgiveness in the months after Jenny died than I have ever done. [/] "A lot of the imagery I worked with is of Mary at the foot of the cross and forgiveness doesn't come into it at all. If Jenny had survived, however awful her injuries, and had said 'Mummy, I forgive them' then I would have had to as well. But she didn't, she died."
Mrs Nicholson will remain an ordained priest. She has moved to a community youth project involving the arts, a subject that was close to her daughter's heart. [/] The Bishop of Bristol, the Rt Rev Michael Hill, a friend of the family, said: "I think these situations in life shake the faith of everybody because they immediately bring into focus the 'why' question. Unfortunately, there's no simple Elastoplast answer to that."
Mrs Nicholson, who has two younger children, Tom, 16, and Lizzie, 22, has been filming a BBC programme for Easter in which she will talk to people about how their faith was affected by the bombings.
Miss Nicholson studied for a master's degree in advanced musical studies at Bristol University. She had been head chorister at St Mary's in Henbury, in Bristol, and had moved to Reading to live with her boyfriend, James White. She was travelling to work at the music publisher Rhinegold when the bomb exploded at Edgware Road. [/] Her funeral was held at Bristol Cathedral. [My ellipses and emphasis]
