While I sincerely admire the anti-war and peace activities of Carlos and Melida Arredondo, their recent memorial for the people of Newtown, Conn. is incomplete. (“School shooting memorial erected,” Dec. 21, 2012.) There needs to be one more cross for the soul of the shooter, Adam Lanza. Whether we describe him as “deranged,” disturbed or mentally ill, he, too, was once a 6-year-old child at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Tragically, his life went horribly off-course, and the consequences of his emotional and spiritual derailment resulted in the horrific massacre of Dec. 14.
It is much easier to pray for innocent children than for someone wielding an assault weapon in a kindergarten classroom. But that does not mean we can skip the difficult lessons of forgiveness. Without forgiveness, there is no peace.
M.M. Rosenthal
Jamaica Plain