Sermon On The Mount By Immaculee Ilibagiza Analysis
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“Sermon on the Mount” is a passage in Matthew's gospel where Jesus delivers the new Torah from the mountain. Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza is a memoir of her life as a Tutsi amidst the Rwandan Holocaust. The conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis results in her and seven other women to hide in a meager bathroom for three months frightened for their lives. Immaculee lives the ethical message of the “Sermon on the Mount” by followings it’s teachings concerning anger, prayer, and retaliation. Ultimately, Immaculee is an exceptional role model for Catholics. Immaculee demonstrates the many teachers of the “Sermon on the Mount,” the most prominent one concerns anger.
Immaculee’s…show more content… Jesus is not against praying in public, but believes prayer should be done for God, not for appearance. Similarly, Immaculee spent many time praying while in the miniscule bathroom hiding from the Hutu killers. On one occasion, Immaculee prays “the rosary since dawn for God to give His love and forgiveness to all the sinners in the world” (Ilibagiza, 2006, p.91). Immaculee is an excellent Catholic role model because she follows the teachings of “Sermon on the Mount” by praying for virtuous reasons, not to be perceived a certain. Immaculee uses prayer to strengthen her relationship with God and to converse with him about forgiving the sinners, even through the difficult circumstance. In the same way, when the killers come to search the house a second time, Immaculee hears “the killers on the other side and the door” and prays to God asking “ to keep them away from the wardrobe and out of the house altogether” (Ilibagiza, 2006, p.92). Immaculee is an excellent Catholic role model due to the fact she follows the teachings from “Sermon on the Mount” because she prays to strengthen her relationship with God and to make it through a difficult situation, not to deceive others.…show more content… Jesus teaches us “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is not the answer (Matthew 5: 38). Jesus teaches that “if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also” (Matthew 5: 39). Jesus believes that not only should we resist vengeance on others but respond to the evil with good. Immaculee demonstrates the teaching when the Pastor tells immaculee that the Hutu killers “have killed thousands of people” she wishes she has “an atomic bomb [to drop] it on Rwanda and [kill] everyone” (Ilibagiza, 2006, p.87-88). Later on, Immaculee realizes vengeance is not the answer and prays “for the killers, for their sins to be forgiven” (Ilibagiza, 2006, p.94). Immaculee follows the new Torah’s teachings because she comes to recognize vengeance on others is not the answer and responds to violence with forgiveness. Immaculee’s kindness makes her an excellent Catholic role model. In the same way, the French captain proposes to “kill any Hutu [she wants him] to” but she declines the offer because she does not believe the Hutu are evil but have “been tricked by the devil” (Ilibagiza, 2006, p.159). Immaculee follows Jesus’s teachings by not taking vengeful actions towards those whom have done evil against her, such as kill her family which makes her an exceptional Catholic role model. Similarly, Immaculee visit Felicien, the leader of the gang whom is