Benedictine Living Community host National Forgiveness Day event
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The Benedictine Living Community is celebrated National Forgiveness Day on Tuesday evening.
The event started off with a musical performance followed by Darryl Burton telling his story about learning to forgive.
Burton is a St. Louis native who was wrongfully accused and convicted of murder at 22 years old in 1985. He spoke about his family, going to trial, his time at the Missouri State Penitentiary, his religious journey and ultimately finding forgiveness.
He also talked about the process of trying to get released from prison. It took 18 years for him to gain his freedom. In 2008, he was released after spending 24 years behind bars.
Burton said it took years to reach a place where he could truly forgive.
"As I learned forgiveness is not for the people who did me harm or wrong. It really helps me, it frees me and let me just live my life. The way I want to live my life," he said. The people who did this to me went on with their lives. Forgiveness is freeing. It releases a whole lot of bitterness and anger."
The story of Jesus really connected with him and help him begin his journey of forgiveness.
"When he was being executed on the cross "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" that to me was not human, that was divine. I said if he could do this at the point of death then maybe I could try to forgive those folks, and what did to me," he said.
He hopes the audience the forgiveness is not forgetting what someone did but it's about moving forward and living your life.
"You can't change what happen in the past but you can do something about your future, and your present circumstances," he said. "Nothing that they done is something that you have to accept, and or some kind of way overlook because what they did is wrong. You can live your life in a way that can give you peace."
Forgiveness has changed Burton’s life since his release, giving him new friendships, freedom and opportunities.
"That I probably wouldn't have experience if I had stayed angry, filled with rage and unforgiveness. People don't want to be around people that are just angry all the time, and I used to be angry," he said. "People come around people who say if you went through that, and made it through, and you forgave then I can forgive. It allows me to help people also."
Burton said National Forgiveness Day is important because everyone has been harmed and it's hard to let go of grudges and bitterness.
"Stories like my story can perhaps give you a way or an insight on how you can forgive. You can say that I'm not the only person who've been harmed," he said. Other people have been harmed, and they moved on, and I can be the example for people in that regard.
Burton has a non profit called Miracle of Innocence where he helps free innocent men and women who have be wrongfully convicted. In addition, Miracle of Innocence supports retrials for incarcerated individuals and provides care for them to transition back into society.
