The prophet Isaiah proclaims: The Lord God will create a new heaven and a new earth. The things of the past will not be remembered. There will be joy and happiness in this new creation. There will be no more weeping and crying. It is hard to move on from the past, isn’t it? When we are struggling to forgive or let go of a past hurt or trying to heal a relationship, we often cannot imagine a place of rejoicing and happiness, of freedom and peace, when we can let go of what is holding us back and look forward to hope for a new future. God views us with love and mercy. He does not hold grudges against us. He does not hold our failures in his mind. God sees everything through his lens of compassion and mercy. But this process does not happen overnight often times. I was just telling someone that forgiving another person is not like a light switch that we can turn off and on. It is more like drop after drop of water slowing going into a glass. It takes a long time to fill that glass just like it often takes a long time and a lot of prayers in order to forgive someone or to forgive ourselves. We have been talking about the Sacrament of Reconciliation in our parish over the holy season of Lent. Many Catholic have not gone to this sacrament for a long time. Many have reservations about going. Many are afraid. But the priest will welcome you back with joy, mercy and compassion even if you have been away from the Church for a long time, even if you have not gone to confession in a very long time. It takes courage to forgive, to let go of the past, and to open to the process of healing and reconciliation. It often takes courage just to have hope.
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