Police say the burglar, who broke out a wooden window insert, destroyed a screen bracket, tripped our alarm, then wandered the hallways at St. David's before leaving out the front door in December, has been caught.

38-year-old Justin Hall of Pontiac was apprehended the same night he broke into the music office at St. David’s. Apparently he left our place and broke into a nearby office building - causing $7,000 worth of damage. Police arrested him there and he’s been in the Oakland County Jail ever since. Apparently he has been there before and suffers from several problems stemming from addiction.

I was informed of this by a court sentencing administrator who called asking what St. David’s wanted from Hall: Did we want him to pay for the minor damage he caused? Clean up the mud he tracked through the offices? Pay us some sort of restitution?

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the pinnacle commemoration of Jesus’ triumphal march into Jerusalem, arrest, conviction, and crucifixion. Here we witness Jesus’ courage through adversity, ultimately forgiving his persecutors and bowing to the will of God.

When your parish leaders were polled regarding punishment for Hall, it was decided that we would ask for none, rather urge the court to mandate some sort of addiction treatment. We elected to forgive him for the damage and anguish he caused, trusting that God might work through therapists to bring about the needed healing. I’m immensely proud, though not surprised at this response from our leaders.

The approaching Holy Week reminds you and me of forgiveness - both the forgiveness we receive and the forgiveness we might give. We do well to ponder the ways we can pardon those who have offended us. Jesus had a knack for looking beyond offenses to the deeper work of God. ‘Forgive them for they know not what they have done,’ were his famous words upon the cross - how might we too look at the bigger picture by overlooking the offenses?