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March 9, 2024As the Civil War was drawing to a close, there was a growing concern among the leaders in the North about how the rebels should be treated. President Lincoln had made it known that he desired an easy peace of welcoming the southern states back to the union. Grant took these words to heart and made favorable terms of surrender to Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox, which included allowing the southern cavalrymen and artillerymen to keep possession of their horses. When news of the surrender spread throughout the town, there were spontaneous firing of salutes, as men and women celebrated the surrender of Lee’s army. When Grant learned of these celebrations, he quickly sent an order to stop all such demonstrations. He declared, “The war is over; the rebels are our countrymen again.” Through all the lives that were lost during the war, the scourge of slavery, the mistreatment of the prisoners of war, and numerous other realities which inflamed the sens-ibilities of the north, Grant understood that for peace to occur, there must be compassion and mercy. The coming years of Reconstruction would prove to be difficult for our nation, as the fight for equality among people would con-tinue for over a hundred more years. However, on that day at Appomattox, General Grant offered us an image of mercy, not forgetting the past, while also remembering our relationship with one another.
Lent is a season where there is a lot of emphasis placed on the sacrament of confession. We ought to understand for ourselves the need to return to the Lord and receive the mercy of God as we pre-pare for the coming Easter Season. However, as we are seeking out the mercy of God, we ought to be just as ready to extend mercy to others. This appears to be more complicated because we know the pain others have caused us. Further, we know the person who has hurt us and they may not be our favorite person in the world. Yet as difficult as it is for us to forgive, we readily expect the mercy of God, and declare at every mass, “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This week offers us an opportunity to look into our hearts at any forgiveness we are withholding, and to seek to better understand how we are able to part-icipate in the mercy of God. Grant showed us that mercy and compassion are not easy, but that for us to move forward as a People of God we need to understand our relationship with one another and our relationship with God.
