Luz Maria Forgiveness Notes

Luz Maria is Pablo Escobar’s sister. He was of course the notorious drug lord in Medellin, Columbia, accused not only of torturing but murdering numerous victims in his quest for domination of the drug trade. Luz Maria now leaves notes on the graves of many of her brother’s victims asking for forgiveness. Yet instead of a hero she has become a question mark. When I first heard the story, the BBC reporter surprised me by saying that she didn’t know what to make of Luz Maria. That is because Luz Maria does not see her brother as all bad. He was a good brother, she says, he helped the poor and she believes he did not commit some of the atrocities attributed to him. Luz Maria also does not receive a full endorsement from the families of those victims on whose graves she leaves notes. Felipe Mejia, the brother of one of Escobar’s victims says that forgiveness is not justice. That may be, but it would seem that the kind of justice Felipe Mejia would want is not within Luz Maria’s power. After all, how many of us would feel so strongly about atoning for the wrongs of a brother in a way that almost becomes a lifestyle? It’s hard enough to deal with the errors of a family member, but when those errors are a series of heinous crimes, how would we bear it? She ought to be lauded for her efforts. There isn’t enough forgiveness in the world, so I can’t help but praise anyone who engages in it.