[Five Spiritualities Testimony] “Thinking, ‘What would Julia have done?’ about the person who caused my mother’s death, I was able to forgive.”

“Thinking, ‘What would Julia have done?’ about the person

who caused my mother’s death, I was able to forgive him.”

Antonio Kim Sun-bong

My name is Antonio Kim Sun-bong from Suwon, South Korea. It has already been one year since my mother passed away. On July 3 of last year, she suffered an unexpected traffic accident and hovered between life and death for three days before passing away on July 5. 

At that time, I was completely devastated, and I came to realize that such profound suffering can also be part of human life. After the funeral, I made a pilgrimage to Naju on the First Saturday.

Because the accident involved a driver, I was informed that criminal punishment would be unavoidable. For several days, I prayed deeply and struggled with how I should respond. When the prosecutor’s office scheduled a meeting between myself and the driver, I found resentment arising within me, along with many conflicting thoughts.

However, I reflected deeply: if I had been the one to suffer such an accident while my mother was still alive, what would she have done? I also asked myself, for my mother who had already gone to Heaven, what would truly be the role of a son? What could I still do for her?

When I went to the prosecutor’s office, I chose to forgive everything without conditions. I made only one request: since the driver was not living a life of faith, I asked that he become a Catholic and pray for the deceased. After expressing this wish, I agreed to a criminal settlement without any compensation.

On October 25 of that year, the day of the trial, I personally attended the courtroom and submitted a petition for leniency to the judge. The essence of that petition was as follows:

Your Honor, my name is Kim Sun-bong, the son of the mother who lost her life due to the defendant. I have come to the courtroom today because I have something I wish to say regarding the defendant.

When I first heard of my mother’s accident, I assumed it was not serious and went to the hospital. However, upon seeing her in such a critical condition, it felt as though the sky had collapsed. That very morning, after breakfast, she had said, "Son, I will go to Doksan-dong and return." Those became her final words.

After the funeral, I laid my mother to rest beside my father at the Daejeon National Cemetery. On my way back, I reflected deeply on what I could still do for her.

My mother was a person full of love. She never ignored neighbors in need and consistently helped them through her actions. From her middle years, she volunteered at the senior college of her parish, becoming a source of support for elderly people living alone. She was their friend, and like a sister to them.

I also witnessed her forgive others’ faults without conditions. Remembering such a mother, I came to believe that the most meaningful way to honor her would be through forgiveness.

After the funeral, I met the defendant and his wife. They appeared to be ordinary and sincere people, and I learned that their financial situation was not easy.

Therefore, I agreed to a criminal settlement without receiving compensation. I made only one request: that the defendant embrace the Catholic faith and pray for the deceased. Though it is not easy for someone without faith to begin such a life, the defendant and his wife made this promise and have been faithfully keeping it.

Your Honor, as we live our lives, we may commit mistakes. Even if such a mistake causes profound sorrow to one family, if another family is also drawn into the same suffering, the world becomes darker still. However, if we forgive and console one another, that pain can become hope, and even in darkness we may find light.

My family and I have already forgiven the defendant. I believe that my mother, now in Heaven, looks upon this decision with joy. I humbly ask that you consider the circumstances of both families and grant the most lenient sentence permitted by law, so that further suffering may be avoided.

October 25, 2018

Kim Sun-bong, son of the victim, Mrs. Yoon

After submitting this petition, the verdict was delivered shortly thereafter. As I had hoped, the defendant received the most lenient sentence. In a similar previous case, the sentence had been one year of imprisonment, but in this case, it resulted in a suspended sentence, allowing him to return to his family and continue his life in society.

I firmly believe that if I had not made pilgrimages to Naju, and if I had not come to know the Five Spiritualities and the life of sacrifice of Julia Kim, I would not have been able to make such a decision. 

The beginning and the fulfillment of the Five Spiritualities is love and forgiveness. If I had failed to practice it at that moment, it would have remained only as words.

I am also deeply grateful that all my family members supported this decision.

In life, many unexpected sufferings arise. Yet I have come to believe that whenever such moments occur, if we sincerely ask what should be done in the spirit of love and sacrifice, there is nothing that cannot be forgiven. That is what I learned from Naju through the life of Julia Kim. 

I humbly submit this testimony as a fruit of grace.

Respectfully in Christ,

Antonio Kim Sun-bong

July 6, 2019

💖What are the Five Spiritualities?💖

https://en.najumary.or.kr/5spiritualities

💝Julia Kim's video on the Five Spiritualities💝

YouTube, Facebook: Naju Mary

Email: marysnaju@najumary.or.kr