October 2, 2007, Charles Carl Roberts, a local milk truck driver, entered an Amish school in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where he tied up and shot 10 Amish schoolgirls aged 6 to 14 in their classroom, killing five of them before turning the gun on himself.

The Amish, descendants of Swiss-German settlers, eschew many aspects of modern life such as cars and telephones, and place particular importance on the principle of forgiveness.

After the shootings, members of the deeply religious Amish community said they wanted to forgive the gunman.

In a statement released on behalf of the community, the committee said, “Many from Nickel Mines have pointed out that forgiveness is a journey, that you need help from your community of faith and from God … to make and hold on to a decision not to become a hostage to hostility.

“It is understood that hostility destroys community,” the statement said.

The Nickel Mines Accountability Committee, which was set up to handle more than $4.3 million in donations from around the world after the shootings, said it had given an unspecified “contribution” to Marie Roberts, a mother of three, the widow of the gunman.

Will you?

Love your enemies. Pray for those who mistreat you.

May God give us that miraculous and creative power to love.