True.
Approximately 2 hours into the landscaping job that my friend decided to undertake, pro bono, for a hospital, he realizes that he's been uprooting trees that were purposely planted as memorials to child victim's of cancer. Because he had started work late in the afternoon (aforementioned pro bono, does this work after other contracts), nobody "in-the-know" had had the opportunity to notify him of the purpose of the trees. What finally cued him into the fact that the mangled heaps of bark and foliage were indeed tokens of remembrance were the small stone plaques with each child's name and date of birth/death inscribed in it. They had been obscured by grime from months of neglect, so the offense on his part was completely accidental, though he would find much difficulty in explaining his error were he confronted directly about it..
This friend, enlightened now to his seemingly unforgivable trespass, instinctively panics (after shedding more than a few tears for the children's sake, as well as his own). Rationalizing that "what's done is done", immediately seeks a way to remedy the situation in the quickest, least conspicuous way possible. As a landscaper, he knows that the memorial trees were not of a particularly rare breed, and that a nearby retailer carries the same type of tree. He makes up his mind very quickly. By morning, the next day, all 11 memorial trees have magically reappeared, identifying plaques polished to a gleam, the trees themselves looking healthier, brighter, more sprightly then they might ever have, including even during the prime of their youth- when first selected for insertion into the hospital grounds.
He still finds himself unable to wipe his hands, per se, clean of the situation. He is convinced that he has committed some terrible sin- against whom he is unclear. He also believes that the entire circumstance is some divine sign for him to re-examine his life, his values. Unsure who or what authority he could even report himself to, he has now begun to undertake the road of repentance that "conveniently" opened it's doors to him- as a follower of the almost fanatically orthodox Opus Dei.
Is he taking this all too far? What advice should I give him, before he passes the point of no return, forever seeking redemption for this "sin" that has no victim? As one of perhaps two or three that know the whole of his story, I feel almost a responsibility to provide advice in this time of definite need, where supposed self-realization seems to give way to fanaticism. Please, help.
edit: Yes, the whole story does sound immensely bizarre. To the best of my knowledge though, all the events did and are continuing to progress as described. Some details, perhaps critical ones, may not have been revealed to me- which might account for his seemingly unexplainable, hell irrational- decision. Still, in my eyes, there is very little, if anything, that would require such extreme behavior as suitable "repentance".
Approximately 2 hours into the landscaping job that my friend decided to undertake, pro bono, for a hospital, he realizes that he's been uprooting trees that were purposely planted as memorials to child victim's of cancer. Because he had started work late in the afternoon (aforementioned pro bono, does this work after other contracts), nobody "in-the-know" had had the opportunity to notify him of the purpose of the trees. What finally cued him into the fact that the mangled heaps of bark and foliage were indeed tokens of remembrance were the small stone plaques with each child's name and date of birth/death inscribed in it. They had been obscured by grime from months of neglect, so the offense on his part was completely accidental, though he would find much difficulty in explaining his error were he confronted directly about it..
This friend, enlightened now to his seemingly unforgivable trespass, instinctively panics (after shedding more than a few tears for the children's sake, as well as his own). Rationalizing that "what's done is done", immediately seeks a way to remedy the situation in the quickest, least conspicuous way possible. As a landscaper, he knows that the memorial trees were not of a particularly rare breed, and that a nearby retailer carries the same type of tree. He makes up his mind very quickly. By morning, the next day, all 11 memorial trees have magically reappeared, identifying plaques polished to a gleam, the trees themselves looking healthier, brighter, more sprightly then they might ever have, including even during the prime of their youth- when first selected for insertion into the hospital grounds.
He still finds himself unable to wipe his hands, per se, clean of the situation. He is convinced that he has committed some terrible sin- against whom he is unclear. He also believes that the entire circumstance is some divine sign for him to re-examine his life, his values. Unsure who or what authority he could even report himself to, he has now begun to undertake the road of repentance that "conveniently" opened it's doors to him- as a follower of the almost fanatically orthodox Opus Dei.
Is he taking this all too far? What advice should I give him, before he passes the point of no return, forever seeking redemption for this "sin" that has no victim? As one of perhaps two or three that know the whole of his story, I feel almost a responsibility to provide advice in this time of definite need, where supposed self-realization seems to give way to fanaticism. Please, help.
edit: Yes, the whole story does sound immensely bizarre. To the best of my knowledge though, all the events did and are continuing to progress as described. Some details, perhaps critical ones, may not have been revealed to me- which might account for his seemingly unexplainable, hell irrational- decision. Still, in my eyes, there is very little, if anything, that would require such extreme behavior as suitable "repentance".
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