I always
look forward to the holy season of Lent. Lent is a special time each year of
journeying with Jesus in the desert for 40 days, of looking at our hearts and
our lives in the ways we need conversion and repentance and renewal. Our Catholic faith is so rich in Lenten
traditions, from the sacrament of reconciliation, to the stations of the cross,
to the Lenten observance of prayer and fasting and works of charity. Today, in
the familiar Gospel reading of the prodigal son, we are presented with the
theme of forgiveness. Most of us find forgiveness to be something very
difficult to practice in our lives, perhaps one of the most difficult things we
are challenged to do in our journey of faith. Earlier in the week, during the
daily mass on Tuesday, we heard the reading from the Gospel of Matthew where
Peter is asking Jesus how often he must forgive his brother who sins against
him. Jesus answers: Not 7 times, but
rather 77 times. Peter, wanting to appear
forgiving and merciful, asks if he should forgive 7 times, since the rabbis in
Israel during Jesus’ day taught that forgiving someone’s enemies no more than 3
times was sufficient, citing a passage from the first chapter of Amos whereby
God forgave Israel’s enemies 3 times. So, forgiving more than double the times
cited in Hebrew Scripture, Peter probably thought that he was going above and
beyond what he was called to do as a faithful Jew and that he would be praised
Jesus for his great mercy. Peter and the
other disciples must have been shocked by Jesus’ answer. As practicing Jews,
Peter and his disciples looked to the law for guidance and wisdom - why did
Jesus respond the way he did?
Perhaps
it is because God does not call us to place limits on our mercy and
forgiveness. We are called to forgive
with as much grace and generosity the 1000th time as we do the first time we
forgive. We are only capable of practicing forgiveness in this way because of
the Spirit of the Lord that fills our heart.
It is only through God that we are truly to forgive. It is far easier to
desire vengeance or retribution or payback than it is to forgive, isn’t it? I
equate forgiveness in these terms:
Forgiving someone is not like turning a light switch off and on - it is
not something that usually happens in an instant. Forgiveness can be hard work
and can happen over time. It is like
drops filling up a glass.
Perhaps
humility is the key to forgiveness. In his humility, the prodigal son is able
to say in today’s Gospel: “I shall get
up and go to my father and I shall say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against
heaven and against you. I no longer
deserve to be called your son; treat me
as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
If we are stuck in our pride and arrogance and vanity, forgiveness will
likely remain an unattainable ideal. We
are to acknowledge our weaknesses and our brokenness. We are to acknowledge our dependence on God.
The foundation of forgiveness is the love that God for us. The foundation of forgiveness is the agape
love we are to live out in our journey of faith.
One of
the spiritual works of mercy is to forgive offenses. But how can we really
forgive those offenses that cut to the core of our hearts, that tear apart our
lives and the lives of our loved ones.
Sometimes we are unaware of the ways our brothers and sisters have had
to forgive in the reality of their lives. Deacon Joseph Le grew up in war-torn
Vietnam. He will give a faith testimony
today on the fifth spiritual work of mercy - to forgive offenses.
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