Let’s all forgive Fr Lupupa Featured
As a candidate in this year’s presidential elections and leader of a political party that is taking part in this year’s elections at all levels, I was very offended by Fr Latone Lupupa’s homily urging rigging if the Patriotic Front is seen to be losing.
I was also very disappointed with his homily as a Catholic.
But our priest has apologised. He regrets what he said and he has asked for forgiveness, mercy.
What more should we expect or ask from him? To hang himself!
I know very well that accepting an apology can be tough, especially if the person apologising really hurt you.
Like apologising, responding to an ‘I’m sorry’ takes maturity.
It takes maturity and humility to own up to your mistakes and apologise. It also takes maturity and humility to accept an apology after you’ve been wronged.
Accepting an apology and forgiving someone often doesn’t come easily, but still this can be handled with sincerity, mindfulness and grace.
Put simply, apologising requires effort, and if someone seems apathetic, we probably want to take note and try to get it behind us. We shouldn’t let it fester. There are so many things we’ve all done in our lives that we just pray people don’t hold over us. Let’s give our friends breaks when we can.
We shouldn’t continue to dwell on it, because if it’s eating us up, it’s toxic. Moving on is an important part of self-care. It’s not being selfish. It’s about living our best life, which can’t happen when we’re filled with anger or hate. It doesn’t mean we have to be friends again, but we can accept the effort and go on with our lives.
I wholeheartedly accept Fr Lupupa’s apology and forgive him.
Moreover, as Christians we know we are meant to be kind, loving, humble, and respectful to others. And one true test of this is how we handle situations when we believe we’ve been wronged.
We are reminded in
Proverbs 26:4-5, “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.”
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party