The bravery of the Assyrian Christian bishop who was stabbed during a livesteam of his service, in front of his congregation, has truly been remarkable.
But more than his bravery, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel has exhibited a spirit of forgiveness for his attacker that most Christians can only pray to someday achieve.
The Associated Press has reported his suspected attacker was a teenaged Muslim extremist.
Appearing for the first time in person at his church, Christ the Good Shepherd in a suburb of Sydney, Australia, since he was stabbed, Emmanuel sported an eye patch, having lost his vision in his right eye thanks to the attack. He had a message for his congregation, and the world at large.
As seen in a video Sunday of his sermon for the Orthodox Palm Sunday, shared to the social media platform X, Bishop Emmanuel received a standing ovation upon appearing again before his congregation.
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After miraculously surviving a recent stabbing attack by an Islamist at a Sydney church, Assyrian Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel receives a standing ovation from the congregation as he resumes preaching. pic.twitter.com/M5s8LsAcMH
— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) April 28, 2024
The video showed a set of purple curtains being drawn to reveal Bishop Emmanuel at the altar, sparking a standing ovation lasting almost the full duration of the 30-second video.
Toward the end, Emmanuel, clearly moved by his reception, blessed his congregation with his cross before proceeding with the liturgy.
Would you have responded to this attack in the same way?
However, as Sky News Australia reported, Emmanuel was not going to let his first public appearance since the attack pass without saying something about it.
During the service, Emmanuel told the congregation that his lost eye would be offered as a sacrifice for Muslims, saying that, “If you do not see, I will be the eye for you.”
That’s a message that should resonate no matter what beliefs the listener holds.
The U.K. Guardian included more of the good bishop’s message to his congregation, and to his attacker.
Emmanuel reaffirmed his forgiveness, saying that, “I will always pray for you.”
Moreover, Emmanuel used his first public appearance as an opportunity to advocate for free speech, urging the government to allow video of the attack to remain available.
As Sky News Australia reported, Australian eSafety Commissioner Anthony Albanese, has ordered X to footage of the stabbing to be taken down from the social media platform.
On April 22, according to The Associated Press, an Australian judge ordered X to put a temporary block on the video globally. On Wednesday, an Australian court extended that order until May 10, the AP reported.
X is fighting the case in court, AP reported.
However, the AP noted: “Other social media companies including Google, Microsoft, Snapchat and TikTok have complied with similar orders from the eSafety Commission, which describes itself as the world’s first government agency dedicated to keeping people safer online.”
Referring specifically to the attack, Bishop Emmanuel said that “A non-Christian can criticise my faith, can attack my faith. I will say one thing. May [God] forgive you and may [God] bless you. This is a civilised way, an intellectual way, of approaching such events if or when they take place.”
A longer video of the sermon shared to YouTube by Followers of Christ included more of Bishop Emmanuel’s words of forgiveness for his attacker.
In the video, Bishop Emmanuel reiterated to his attacker that, “my dear, you are my son, and you will always be my son. I will always pray for you, I will always wish you nothing but the best.”
He continued, “I pray that my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, to enlighten your heart, enlighten your soul, your entire being to realize, my dear, there is only one God who art in heaven … and … that God is Jesus Christ of Nazareth.”
Speaking again to his attacker, he said “I will always pray for you, and whoever was in this act. In the name of my Jesus, I forgive you, I love you, and I will always pray for you.”
It would be difficult to truly fathom what it took for Emmanuel to respond to such a violent and hate-filled attack with such love and forgiveness.
Bishop Emmanuel was faced with a hatred and violence most Christians, especially in the U.S., couldn’t imagine.
And yet, instead of returning this hate, he responded by highlighting God’s love and forgiveness in an unforgettable lesson.
Revenge has always been the natural, and indeed, easier response to wrongs done against us, especially for something as unprovoked and violent as Emmanuel endured.
But Christ has always called Christians to a radical kind of forgiveness, modeling that forgiveness on the cross by asking “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
Few people could emulate Christ’s forgiveness, yet Bishop Emmanuel, faced with hatred and violence, did just that.
And it would be that example of radical forgiveness that would bring people back to God.
