Forgiveness In Simon Wiesenthal's The Sunflower

In The Sunflower, Simon Wiesenthal wrote of an incident of the time he was a concentration camp inmate. He described life in the concentration camp, the continuous humiliations, the hunger, the illness, and the constant threat of death. Death was fearful, but death was not his only worry. When he was asked by a dying Nazi soldier for forgiveness, this tore him down, ultimately killing his heart and tearing him mentally apart. Having heard the first confession of a dying SS man, Weisenthal continued to be troubled by his refusal to give forgiveness. In the end of the book when he asked his readers what they would do in his situation, Weisenthal not only bore witness to a horrible event, but he invited all people to participate in the discussion of justice and forgiveness.

Father Augustine - Catholic Perspective

Father Augustine believes that God alone can really forgive sins.

There is no limit to God’s mercy or forgiveness. When we sincerely are sorry and ask for forgiveness, God forgives. We are all born with original sin, therefore, nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes. Since we are all human and make mistakes, there are no limitations on our ability and willingness to forgive like God, for he is our true role model of forgiveness. Just as God forgave, we can forgive, meaning we will give up our right to hurt others for hurting us. Father Augustine believes that when we forgive, we do not necessarily forget the event that occurred. Learning how to respond to an offense is one of the basic teachings of Christian life. To forgive is to make a new beginning and relationship with that person, by putting the past behind. So, we do not forget what happened, but we do not use that offense against the committer. In addition to Father Augustine’s belief on forgiving and forgetting, the bible does not say forgive and forget. There is no real total forgiveness unless there is a total commitment to forget. The effort to forget is as hard as it

is to forgive. A perfect example of forgiveness is St. John Paul II. This pope forgave someone who shot him, which caused a lot of confusion in the media. The media was shocked on how someone can forgive another person for trying to kill him/her. We, as Catholics, wish this became common because forgiveness is a teaching all Catholic follow. Just as Pope John Paul II did, when we forgive others, we relieve the burden of guilt on the committers shoulders. The example of our merciful father is for us to imitate this way. Also, forgiveness is the ultimate remedy, freedom, healing, and new beginning. Mercy can be preventative and eliminate before the offense actually occurs. Simon Wiesenthal shows mercy to the mother in his story. Overall, when we forgive we don't worry about the justice, God does, and our decisions are in his hands.