Saturday, February 15, 2003
Saturday, February 15, 2003
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of his grace.
The people in this ceremony were crying over the sins of humanity, but they were also weeping
over their own sins. It's all right to shed tears over your sins, for in our confession, God brings us
forgiveness in Jesus Christ.
(Ephesians 1.7
NRSV)
For one week in December 1994, 200 Christians and Jews came from around the world to
commemorate the Holocaust at the Convocation at Auschwitz. The week closed with an
unforgettable prayer service. Father Herbert Froelich of Heidelberg was the last to speak. A
Roman Catholic priest and a spokesperson for Pax Christi International, he stood in the circle
and slowly unveiled a painting of a weeping Jesus, fiercely broadstroked in blacks, yellows, and
oranges. Froelich placed it in front of his face, for he was weeping, too, and told the story of how
this uncompromising visage was created by two German soldiers at the end of the war. Horrified
by their nation's crimes, they took it upon themselves to atone for Germany by walking
throughout their homeland and Poland carrying this token of redemption. Father Froelich
softened many hearts when he admitted that his father, too, had served in Hitler's elite forces.
Dear God, cleanse me from my sins. Amen.
