Extraordinary Forgiveness

Burrntalive.jpgJanuary the 22nd, 1999, is a day forever etched in the memory of Gladys Staines.

It is the day that her husband Graham, along with their young sons, Timothy and Philip, were burnt alive by a group of around 50 Hindu extremists in Orissa, India, where Graham had been working with the poor, especially those with leprosy.

Gladys has an amazing story to tell of how she and her daughter were able to forgive those who killed those they loved. While their forgiveness was offered right away, the healing took a lot longer.

It is truly remarkable to think that Gladys stayed on in India for many years to continue the work that her husband had begun many years earlier. Many people have been inspired by her life and her determination to continue serving God in a land far from her home country of Australia.

I was extremely privileged to have Gladys join me during my Morning Programme at 98.5 Sonshine FM today to talk about her story which has been told in the book Burnt Alive.

If you’d like to hear from someone who found healing in forgiveness just click play on the audio player at the bottom of this post.



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Crystal Clear

crystals.jpgMy regular Wednesday morning guest on 98.5 Sonshine FM is Ross Clifford who is the Principal of Morling College in New South Wales and current President of the Baptist Union of Australia. Each week we chat about a range of issues relating to spirituality and belief.

Our discussion today started by reflecting on the apology that the Australian Federal Parliament had issued to the Stolen Generations ealier in the day.

Our main topic however was the value of crystals in healing.

The popularity of crystals rises and falls from time to time and it seems that they are currently seeing a resurgence of interest from a variety of people.

Do crystals contain healing energy? Should we use or avoid crystals?

Listen to what Ross had to say by clicking on the audio player at the bottom of this post.



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Sorry

Today is an incredibly important day in the history of Australia.

This is the apology that will be made to Australia’s Indigenous community in Federal Parliament, Canberra, today.

Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

We reflect on their past mistreatment.

We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were stolen generations – this blemished chapter in our nation’s history.

The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia’s history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.

We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.

We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.

For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.

To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.

And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.

We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation.

For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.

We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.

A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.

A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.

A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed. A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.

A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia.

You can find out more about the apology and the stolen generations by reading the Wikipedia article, Stolen Generation.



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