Dear All,
Well, we are making headway through Lent: 3rd Sunday in Lent tomorrow. And in the Gospel for Sunday we hear the story of the Fig Tree. It is a favourite of mine and particularly the gardener. The master tells the gardener to cut down the fig tree because it hasn’t produced any figs but the gardener intercedes for it & says, ‘Just leave for one more year & if it still doesn’t bear fruit I will cut it down’. In other words I think it is telling us to give one more chance. God gives us another chance so often but I wonder if I give ‘one more chance’ to people on whom I pass judgement?? So the reflections this week are about judgement, forgiveness.
This week the blessing is a gaelic one: ‘Deep Peace’ from Libera. It might be good to pray it for those who live around us, whether we know them or not, & ask that they receive the blessing they most need
With love to you all
God always forgives, always – but He asks me to forgive [others]. If I do not forgive, in a sense, I close the door to God’s forgiveness. ‘Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.’”
POPE FRANCIS
Seventy Seven Times – Joyce Rupp
Then Peter approaching asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times…” Mt. 18: 21 & 22
So many of us identify with Peter and his way of looking at life and situations, not because he always knows the right answer, but because, if we are honest, our thoughts and words are often like his. Just the fact that he asked Jesus, “How often?” has a clear implication: his desire to forgive has limits. Do you recall when this implication was part of your life, too? As a child of 11 I remember that my sister and I were arguing about some silly thing and I decided that I would not talk to her until she apologized. Even before I knew what “rationalization” meant, I had rationalized my stubbornness and lack of forgiveness by convincing myself that I was right and she was wrong. And further, I needed to be “strong” and withhold my forgiveness so that I could teach her a lesson. If I forgave her now, she would get used to being forgiven and never admit her own guilt. So I crossed my arms and turned away from her for a couple of days. Then Sunday came and when we were praying the Our Father the words “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” It seemed like a lead ball fell on me. What! God would not forgive me unless I forgave my sister? With this holy fear, I let my stubbornness go and discovered that I was happier because my sister and I could be friends again. I felt free from trying to teach people lessons that I had not learned yet.
Forgiveness has to be one of the most difficult spiritual practices. I have met only a few persons who seems to forgive easily. Most, including myself, hang on to old hurts until they becoming like dirty laundry. The clothes won’t be clean unless we do something about them…The same with forgiving others…No wonder Jesus placed this as part of his prayer. We will not forgive fully without bringing our hurts and resentments to the One with the power to heal through us. Forgiveness is not something we do entirely on our own. We must pray to have the courage and humility to forgive another.
Perhaps during this time of the pandemic, our hearts may be more open and docile to realize that time is out of our control and that we need to mend all those fences so that we can love all people in a Gospel way. There are few things sadder than being separated from loved ones because of a lack of forgiveness. It really doesn’t matter who is right and who is wrong, because it is wrong to be separated from those we love, and always right to heal broken hearts. As Joyce points out, we cannot do this alone but with divine grace, asking for humility and courage.
As we begin to engage in the healing process, it will become obvious that there are larger areas where we need forgiveness and must extend forgiveness. Forgiveness for abusing Mother Earth and her resources; forgiveness for being selfish and not complying with health guidelines like using masks; forgiveness for not loving all peoples no matter their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation; forgiveness for myself because I am not perfect and need to embrace my sinfulness trusting in our God who is mercy, who forgives and who loves us beyond measure.
A Forgiven Person Forgives
Maybe the reason it seems hard for me to forgive others is that I do not fully believe that I am a forgiven person. If I could fully accept the truth that I am forgiven and do not have to live in guilt or shame, I would really be free. My freedom would allow me to forgive others seventy times seven times. By not forgiving, I chain myself to a desire to get even, thereby losing my freedom. A forgiven person forgives. This is what we proclaim when we pray “and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.”
This lifelong struggle lies at the heart of the Christian life.
Henri Nouwen
What might we see?
Donal Neary SJ
If he opened our eyes
what might we see?
A vision that is new
Of self & others
of the world & God.
We might look on God’s creation with the eyes of God
God is inside us looking out
rather than outside us looking in;
and we see ourselves as children of God:
a son or daughter who is loved
a sinner forgiven & called;
and we see others the same
a gift not a threat
and even on the person who grates
the life of God does dwell –
This is a new vision!
All God’s people
crying with his cry,
hungering for food
hungering for
a voice to console
a hand to comfort.
This is a new vision
disturbing our comfort:
a vision that is new
a vision that is disturbing
a vision that is everything.
In him we live & move & have our being.