A Christian refugee who fled Iraq says she prays for ISIS even though the organization murdered one of her relatives.
Christina Shabo told the Catholic News Agency that she hasn’t forgiven ISIS, but is working on it.
"I asked Jesus for the grace to forgive every time I would pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet (a Catholic prayer). But instead of praying 'For the sake of his sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world,' I pray 'have mercy on ISIS and on the whole world.'"
Shabo, 25, gave her testimony at World Youth Day in July. Her mother was eight months pregnant when her family left Iraq and went to Turkey in 1991.
Two years later, her family was able to move to Michigan, but many of her relatives had to stay in Iraq.
Then in 2014, during an attack on Mosul, one of Shabo’s relatives was “violently murdered. He was chopped up in a dozen pieces” and delivered to his family in a bag.
"Imagine someone that you love being delivered to you in a bag in pieces. It's insane. So when I hear stories like that, how could I not be angry?" she said.
"Anger just makes you angry and bitter, and nothing good comes out of it," she added. "But when you take that and you turn it into mercy and forgiveness, and you see how fruitful that can be, even for yourself, aside from anyone else, you can't stop doing it."
Publication date: August 8, 2016
