Sr. Mainetti’s pardon in Chiavenna

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5: 43-48)

Every true Christian is also a missionary towards other people. The ultimate measure of gift and witness is forgiveness, intended for those who are not only humanly distant from us but are even our enemies or persecutors. By doing something so far beyond human reason (i.e. forgiving our enemies), Jesus' disciples testify to their boundless fidelity in God, that is, in Supreme Love, leaving an indelible mark on those who receive their forgiveness, but also on those who learn this gesture. For example, we all remember Sr. Maria Laura Mainetti, now a blessed, who was stabbed to death in a satanic ritual by three young girls in Chiavenna in 2000.