CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Those who offered their lives to save their loved ones in the recent Colorado theater shooting exemplified the Christian virtues of courageous sacrifice and selfless love, said Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila of Denver.<\/p>\n\tSuch acts of courage testify to \u201cthe natural goodness that is present within the human person,\u201d he told CNA on the evening of July 24.<\/p>\n
\tStories of heroism are beginning to emerge from the Century 16 Theater in Aurora, Colo. where one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history took place early on July 20.<\/p>\n
\tTwelve people were killed and 58 more injured when a gunman entered the theater during the midnight premiere of \u201cThe Dark Knight Rises\u201d and opened fire on the crowd.<\/p>\n
\tReports have emerged that four of the victims were young men who died while shielding their girlfriends from bullets.<\/p>\n
\tJon Blunk, Matt McQuinn, Alex Teves and John Larimer all gave their lives to protect their girlfriends \u2013 Jansen Young, Samantha Yowler, Amanda Lindgren and Julia Vojtsek, respectively \u2013 from the gunfire in the theater.<\/p>\n
\tSeveral of these women spoke to the media after the shooting, crying as they told how their boyfriends \u2013 who were all in their 20s \u2013 used their bodies to block them from harm, knowing that they were risking their lives.<\/p>\n
\tIn another story of heroism, 21-year-old Stephanie Davies reportedly rescued her friend Allie Young by pulling her into an aisle and applying pressure to the bullet wound on her neck, refusing to run or hide despite her friend\u2019s urging.<\/p>\n
\tArchbishop Aquila said that these accounts remind him of the Gospel passage from John that says, \u201cNo greater love has one than to lay down one\u2019s life for one\u2019s friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tHe explained that for people of faith, those who truly seek the common good and those of great character, the response in a crisis situation is \u201cto always protect the other.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWe see within that a living out of the Gospel values, and also the dignity of the human person,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a natural instinct to protect life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tArchbishop Aquila also commented on the spiritual courage displayed by victim Pierce O\u2019Farrill, who survived after being shot three times in the theater.<\/p>\n
\tShortly after emerging from surgery, O\u2019Farrill was interviewed by radio host Todd Schnitt. Asked what he would say to James Holmes, the alleged shooter, he responded, \u201cI\u2019m truly blessed to have forgiveness in my heart, and I do forgive him completely for what he\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI honestly would like to see him. I would like to talk to him. I\u2019m a man of deeply devoted faith,\u201d O\u2019Farrill explained. \u201cJesus is my world, and Jesus is how I get through every single day, and that\u2019s how I got through this ordeal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tO\u2019Farrill said that he has been praying for Holmes, and if he had the chance to speak with him, \u201cthe first words that I would say are, \u2018I forgive you, James.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\tThe 28-year-old, who works as the vehicle donation coordinator for the Denver Rescue Mission, said that he \u201cwas blessed\u201d to survive the shooting and emphasized that what happened was \u201cnot God\u2019s fault.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tHe also said that he believes Holmes should receive life in prison rather than the death penalty.<\/p>\n
\tArchbishop Aquila said that O\u2019Farrill\u2019s willingness to forgive such a \u201cheinous evil\u201d shows \u201cthe depth of his faith.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cChrist himself is the one who has conquered sin. He has conquered death,\u201d the archbishop said. \u201cBy recognizing that, one\u2019s heart can be moved to forgive the perpetrator of this kind of violence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tHe stressed that while it might take time, forgiveness is important in ultimately healing the wounds left by sin and avoiding continued resentment and bitterness.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cForgiveness for the Christian is absolutely essential,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to remember that Jesus Christ himself died a violent death and that he forgave from the cross.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tArchbishop Aquila recently visited the parents of one of the victims from the July 20 shooting. He told them to think of themselves as standing under the foot of the Cross with Mary and John, and he encouraged them to go to Mary, a finite human being like themselves who \u201cwatched her son die a violent death.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cShe knows the suffering that is present in the hearts of these parents who have lost their child in the shooting,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\tThe archbishop encouraged continued prayer during the coming weeks and months that God may bring comfort and peace to the victims of the shooting and their families.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe Holy Spirit is present,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\n
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Denver, Colo., Jul 25, 2012 \/ 03:21 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Those who offered their lives to save their loved ones in the recent Colorado theater shooting exemplified the Christian virtues of courageous sacrifice and selfless love, said Archbishop Samuel …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\n
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