Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Forgiveness

“If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” - Matthew 6:14-15

Don't confuse forgiveness with the acceptance of wrongdoing. If forgiveness had to do with the acceptance of a wrong then we would be saying God is accepting of our sin. Psalm 5 denies God's acceptance of sin, "You are not a god who delights in evil; no wicked person finds refuge with you." God wants always to be the source of our refuge. Thus, God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him (John 3:17).  This is affirmed when St. Joseph was told by an angel, "You are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The power of forgiveness is transformative! Jesus' sacrifice on the cross opened the door of salvation and showed us the power of forgiveness. As we await the day of salvation with hope, it is now that Jesus invites us to share in the transformative nature of forgiveness by seeking often the forgiveness of God and by offering forgiveness to one another. 

It is disheartening that so many people today miss out on the transformative power of forgiveness because they do not seek it from God or they withhold it because they believe that forgiveness somehow translates into the acceptance of a wrong. This is not what forgiveness means. The Catechism of the Catholic Church offers a wonderful outlook on forgiveness, “It is not in our power not to feel or to forget an offense; but the heart that offers itself to the Holy Spirit turns injury into compassion and purifies the memory in transforming the hurt into intercession” (Paragraph 2843).

Pope Francis recently shared, “What is the joy of God? It is to forgive!” When we do not forgive we fill ourselves with hate, resentment, and anger. There is little room for joy! Forgiveness is to free one to experience joy and when necessary the healing that only God can offer. Jesus knew the importance of forgiveness and thus said to Peter when he asked how often should he forgive, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22). Do yourself the favor and offer forgiveness to someone who has done you wrong. If you truly want to experience joy seek also the Sacrament of Reconciliation and receive the peace and grace that God offers to you and me.

One last point! Before we get too comfortable and choose not to forgive one another. We may want to remember the words of Jesus, “If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

1 comment:

  1. Fr.Erik thank you again for sharing. This is so true. The Lord is so good he knows what we need before we even ask him. Forgiving one another and accepting the invitation from Jesus is all that matters. Thanks! Annette :)

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