Nonviolence in the Arena

Breaking the Cycle

by JoClare Hartsig

During his eighteen-month stay in the hospital, NYPD Officer Steven McDonald had lots of procedures and therapies that were necessary to save his life - but what he did during his son Conner’s baptism celebration led to the deepest healing of all. He decided to forgive the fifteen-year-old who had fired a gun into his head and then shot him twice more as he lay on the ground. One of those bullets had gone through his spinal cord.

Many wonder how he could forgive young Shavod Jones. In his words, “I often tell people that the only thing worse than a bullet in my spine would have been to nurture revenge in my heart. Such an attitude would have extended my tragic injury into my soul, hurting my wife, son, and others even more. It is bad enough that the physical effects are permanent, but at least I can choose to prevent spiritual injury.”

Officer McDonald was responding to a routine call when this horrible incident occurred. Since that day he has responded to many more calls—from a high school principal worried about the effects of bullying or a counselor who wants to help her client deal with personal trauma, from organizations in Northern Ireland dedicated to the hard work of reconciliation, and most recently from peace groups in Israel/Palestine.

So Steven takes his wheelchair, the ventilator pump he needs to be able to breathe, and his powerful message of forgiveness into many different settings. Often he teams up with Bruderhof leader and author Johann Christof Arnold [see p. xx] who included Steven’s story in his book, Why Forgive? These tours have evolved into an entire program for schools and other youth organizations called Breaking the Cycle. Johann and Steven meet in large groups for assemblies and also set up smaller group exercises designed to develop each person’s innate capacities for love and forgiveness. The team has been invited into dozens of schools in the New York area. They are certain that young people offer the world the best hope of stopping the cycle of violence with the powerful tools of nonviolence.

Steven explains that prior to being shot, he did not feel like a religious person. He was newly married and about to become a father. Suddenly, while discussing his future with his wife and surgeon, his faith took on new importance. Many messages were delivered to him during his long hospital stay, and many people of all faiths were praying for him. He says, “It was God’s love that put me back together.”

Steven was aware of the impact his story was having on high schools and with young people. He knew that reconciliation could work in other places, and among groups of people as well as individuals. His own Irish identity was part of his motivation to be part of a “Journey to Forgiveness” in Northern Ireland in 2000. He went back again, and again.

Inspired by his three trips to Ireland, Steven turned to another part of the world where sectarian hatred and bitterness are causing tremendous suffering: he wanted to offer his message of reconciliation to people in Israel/Palestine. Arrangements were made for the Breaking the Cycle duo to visit with peace activists and others working to heal this broken land. Steven was also eager to visit the sacred places of his Christian faith. He found, to his delight, that many holy sites and areas of the Old City in Jerusalem had been made wheelchair accessible as preparations for a visit from Pope John Paul II!

Although Steven McDonald’s body no doubt still suffers pain, he is not troubled by the agony of hate and revenge. He has freed himself of that burden. Often he is asked if he regrets forgiving Shavod Jones (who was killed in a motorcycle accident three days after being released from prison).

Steven says this: “Months and years have come and gone and I’ve never regretted forgiving Shavod. Back then we never imagined it would carry any importance in other people’s lives. We did it for ourselves…. It helped us, but more importantly it has helped others as well. Popes, presidents, heads of state, and ordinary people have invited us into their offices or homes to tell our story.

“So God has turned something terrible into something beautiful. I think God wants to use both our abilities and disabilities. He needs our arms and legs and minds and hearts and all that we have, to let others know that He is alive and well and wants us to love each other…. Forgiveness is really about our own healing. We may experience slight offenses, or they may be profound. But in the end it is our choice, and it is the survival of our own souls that is at stake.”