Modesto Vandals Damage Virgin Mary Statues - Video - KCRA Sacramento

To be able to freely forgive is a hard won ability. We learn from the youngest age to defend ourselves, hit back, strike first lest we get struck first. To forgive is the hardest of gifts to learn to give. To forgive automatically suggests that someone has done a great wrong against you. To accept forgiveness, and in fact to forgive oneself, is harder still. It suggests an awareness that you have done wrong and deep shame is felt.

This Becomes This

Modesto Vandals Damage Virgin Mary Statues - Video - KCRA Sacramento

When I first learned of the vandalization and desecration of St. Stanislaus Church (just two years old), I had arrived at a time in my life when the thought of forgiveness was first and foremost in my mind. Forgive them for what they did. Pray for them. I would not have been able to do this even ten years ago if I had not experience the profound physical experience of letting something go and forgiven a great harm that was done to me almost 40 years ago.

Once I forgave, I was on the road to this moment on August 29, 2010, when I learned of the desecration shown in the video above, and the first thought after the shock cleared away was "God forgive them". And it was no surprise that two days later, the parish community itself, along with many others from outside of St. Stanislaus Parish, joined together in prayer to pray for those who had perpetrated such harm.

I don't know about others but what for me started out as a teary experience in the end became a moment of grace and peace and a strong feeling of being united with everyone in the church. We were all one family grieving over the same loss and we drew strength from each other.

The Mother is not at home

These two statue were not touched. They are the two male icons in the church, St. Anthony (on the left) and St. Joseph. It was only Holy Mother who was touched, blooded and in the case of the empty niche to the left, destroyed.

So much more could have been lost. The glass wall housing the tabernacle. The tabernacle itself was untouched. Only one window in the building was broken, the one broken to get in. The organ was upended and turned over but once righted was found to be still playable.

I think though that the worst thing that could have been lost was the sense of love and unity and prayerfulness the church members displayed. But that didn't happen. No. Instead, in that one terrible moment, no matter what our differences, we were family and stood together as one and forgave.