Posts Tagged ‘Forgiveness’

Forgiving Our Trespassers

Thursday, August 17th, 2017

Thursday of 19th Week in Ordinary Time
Josh 3: 7-10a, 11, 13-17; Mt 18: 21 – 19: 1
Dc. Larry Brockman

Recently, I saw a lady in the hospital who was recovering from a terrible automobile accident. A 19 year old woman had driven her car through a red light and hit her friend’s car broadside, killing her friend who was driving. This lady was the lucky one, a passenger in the car who survived; but she had a broken arm and broken leg, and several internal injuries. And she was bitter, not really thankful her life had been spared. She really wanted to talk, and during our talk, the topic of forgiveness came up. She looked at me with piercing eyes and said there was no way she could forgive the woman that killed her friend.

Today Jesus tells us we must forgive, not just once, but 7 times 70 times. Now that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to forgive the 491st time. Rather, 7 times 70 means as many as needed.

You know what? It is impossible for me to envision the Kingdom of God any other way. Let me explain. First, for every offense someone has committed against us; we have likely offended someone else the same way. Isn’t that the point of the parable today? And many of the times we offend others are we not even aware of it. Someone plays the radio too loud; someone parks his car too close to yours; someone makes an unkind or nasty remark without thinking; someone nicks the side of your car with their car door; someone cuts you off in traffic; someone won’t let you cut in; someone cuts the line at the movies or grocery store. That someone is likely you as often as it is done to you! And these are all little things; but they all require forgiveness. Most of us can live and let live on these little things; but have we forgiven the offenders, or have we just let it go?

Then secondly, there are the “big” offenses that we find harder to let go of and forgive- like the car accident the lady in the hospital experienced. Now this category includes lots of things, like family arguments and disagreements where people stop communicating; and things that separate us from parents or children or friends or coworkers, maybe even permanently. And there are the various ways people cheat each other with money- cheating people out of an inheritance; cheating them in a business deal. There are those who do violence against us; and of course, there are those who say things about us that we just cannot forgive. We can conceive of a whole lot of “big” unforgivable offenses like these. That said, we have an obligation to recognize the sins that we have committed and to go confess them so that we are right with God.

Let’s face it, we have all done things that we know are wrong and have hurt someone else, including some of the things mentioned above. So we go to Confession and ask for forgiveness from God. In fact, we actually expect God to forgive us for those sins, don’t we? Because He has told us that he will forgive us those sins we confess, right.

But he has also told us this: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” And today he tells us we need to forgive those who trespass against us 7 times 70 times. Why? Because when he forgives us, and we go to the Kingdom of God, we will be amongst all those people who “trespassed against us!” All of us will need to love and accept everyone that is in the Kingdom of God; and we simply can’t do that unless we have forgiven them, no matter how often they have hurt us. That’s why I can’t envision a Kingdom of God without this kind of radical forgiveness.

Let me ask each of you to do something this morning. Examine your life and find one person that you have told yourselves the proverbial “7 times 70 times” that you cannot or will not forgive them; and forgive them from the heart so that you would be comfortable in the coming Kingdom of God.

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Divine Mercy- Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment

Sunday, April 7th, 2013

Divine Mercy Sunday

Acts 5: 12-16; Rev 1: 9-11a, 12-13, 17-19; John 20: 19-31

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Lord Have Mercy!  We say that during every Mass.  But what does it really mean to us, the Mercy of God?

During Lent, we concentrated on the need to reflect on our lives; and to recognize our sinfulness.  That was intended to lead us to the sacrament of Penance, where we confess our sins and reconcile ourselves to God so that we could celebrate Easter in the fullness of the joy that the Resurrection brought.  You see, all of us who believe and repent, and then follow after our Savior Jesus by living the pattern of life in the Gospels, are guaranteed to follow in Jesus footsteps when we die- the resurrection of our bodies in the eternal Kingdom of God.  When we went to Confession, we experienced God’s mercy- the forgiveness of all of our sins and reconciliation between God and ourselves.  That is what God’s Mercy is.  But sadly, not everyone went through that process.

And so today, we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday.  Divine Mercy Sunday is God’s way of giving us all a second chance to reconcile ourselves with Him.

First, let me give some background about Divine Mercy Sunday.  Back in the 1930’s, a Polish lady named Helen Kowalska, who became a nun and took the name Sister Faustina, had visions of the Risen Christ.  The primary vision she had is depicted on the stained glass window in our Tabernacle area.  It shows Jesus with red and blue rays flowing from His heart.  The red symbolizes the blood Jesus shed for our sins as He redeemed us;   And the blue, the water that gushed when the soldier pierced his heart, symbolizes cleansing and mercy.  Jesus encouraged Sister Faustina to draw what she saw, and said that it represented His Divine Mercy.  And so this window is a permanent reminder to us of God’s Divine Mercy.

And what does Divine Mercy mean?  It means Jesus is giving us another opportunity to be cleansed by the water and blood of Christ this weekend, and so, be forgiven for all of our sins, no matter what they are.  Yes, no matter what they are.  Indeed, Jesus spoke of his infinite mercy to Sister Faustina multiple times.  He is quoted as having said in one vision:  “I want to grant complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of my Mercy”!  And also in another vision: “The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion will receive complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.”  In the year 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized Sister Faustina,aAnd designated the Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday- the Feast of His Mercy.  The Pope recognized that Jesus wanted the Feast of Divine Mercy celebrated annually, that was Jesus’ desire.

So, why did Jesus want the Feast of Divine Mercy?  Well, Jesus told St. Faustina that it pained Him that so many souls had not listened to Him.  They had not sought forgiveness for their sins, even with 6 weeks of reflection and purification available during Lent.  Jesus was pained because these souls were in danger of being lost.  The time for obtaining mercy is limited.  Indeed, time is limited for all of us- we could die at any time.  But during our lifetime, we must take that critical step, and seek forgiveness of our sins- after death it is too late.  Jesus is offering infinite mercy right now for whatever we have done- that’s the point.  But, we have to respond to him.  And the summary of Jesus message through St. Faustina, now sanctioned by the Church, is that we must do three essential things to receive His Divine Mercy and all the benefits of it:  Go to Confession; Receive Communion; and show mercy to others.  I will touch on all three of these briefly.

First, the Confession part.  You must go to a priest to go to Confession.  Asking God for forgiveness privately doesn’t fulfill the need to Confess.  In today’s Gospel, you heard Jesus commission His Apostles with these words:  ““Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained””.  Jesus said this to His Apostles for a reason.  This is how Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Penance.  And so, Confession is the specific way, the guaranteed way, to assure that your sins are forgiven.  Besides, in the visions to St. Faustina, Jesus made it clear that He wanted us to go to Confession, as the two quotes show.

So if you are holding back for any reason, Confession is the critical first step you need to take.  Whatever it is that you might have done- even violence or abuse or separation from the Church or other kinds of very serious sin, know that Jesus’ Divine Mercy appeal is especially for you.

Second, we need to receive Holy Communion in a state of grace.  And it is Confession that guarantees that we are in the state of grace because we are reconciled with God.  The Eucharist is the body, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ.  When Jesus comes into our very being, we experience a closeness, an intimacy, with God.  We are in Communion with Him and with the rest of the assembly.  Through that intimacy, we are given graces to sustain our relationship with God.  And we need those graces to stay the course.

Lastly, we need to show mercy.  In Math 5:7, Jesus says: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain Mercy”; and in James 12:13, we hear that “Judgment is merciless to one who has not shown mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment”.  It’s really very simple.  How can we expect God’s infinite mercy if we continue to withhold mercy ourselves?  It is a humble and contrite heart that we need- and mercy to others shows that we have a humble and contrite heart.  So, if you have an estranged family relationship; if you have a feud with your neighbor; or if you feel that someone has done you tremendous harm, now is the time for you to show mercy yourself.

Now Jesus has given us several special gifts through St. Faustina, to help us on our way.  First, prayer- we are to pray for ourselves and for others.  And He has even suggested some prayers and devotions- The Divine Mercy Chaplet and Divine Mercy Novena prayers specifically.  We are giving away Chaplet and Novena pamphlets in Rosary packets this weekend at all the Masses.  Second, saying these prayers, and complying with the three conditions I mentioned earlier brings us plenary indulgences.  That means that not only are our sins forgiven, but God will absolve us of the temporal punishment for our sins.

And there is something else, too.  We all have a special opportunity to show mercy this year.  In this year of Evangelization, you can be a catalyst, an instrument, a special motivator for one or more of your brothers and sisters in Christ.  Tell them about Divine Mercy.  Give them a Divine Mercy Packet.  Start them on their way by saying the chaplet with them.  Remember, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain Mercy”.  What can be more merciful than bringing a lost brother or sister to Christ?

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Forgiveness Out of Love

Thursday, June 16th, 2011

Thursday of 11th Week in Ordinary Time

2 Cor 11: 1-11; Mt 6: 7-15

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Forgiveness!  This morning, Jesus puts unmistakable emphasis on Forgiveness.  First he teaches us how to pray:  Keep it simple- say what you mean; and don’t babble.  Give praise and Glory to God; and recognize that God’s will is best for us.  That is followed by the forgiveness part:  “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”.  And finally, “deliver us from evil”.   

But notice that after the prayer, Jesus is very explicit that we will not be forgiven unless we forgive. Wow!  And that is the hard part, isn’t it, at least speaking for myself.  Yes, it is hard for me to forgive people who continually hurt me.  And it seems as if there are some people out there who are determined, even dedicated, to be contrary over and over again.  And no matter how many times I tell myself to forgive them, something will come up again, and yet again.  I saw a movie yesterday that illustrates what I mean.  There was a person who played the violin each night just because he knew it irritated his neighbor.  When the neighbor died; this man stopped playing the violin!  In fact, he became depressed because he had derived such pleasure from tormenting his neighbor,  that he didn’t know what to do with himself when the neighbor was gone.     

I bet that all of you out there have this kind of problem with someone.  As a parent, we hear our kids complain about their brothers and sisters teasing them or hitting them or something;  And nagging parents or spouses or siblings fit this bill; so do many bosses or clients or teachers.  And then there are the politicians!     

But you know, we are often blind to our own weaknesses, and so, it is fair to say that we are all probably a thorn of this kind in someone else’s side too- all of course, except me!  I never do anything to irritate anyone else!    And that brings me to Jesus’ main point- humility.  Forgiveness and humility go hand in hand.  All of us need to forgive everything everybody else does to us no matter how often it is done or how sinister it is, because all of us are sinners and are guilty of the same thing.  When, in all humility, we recognize the fact of our sinfulness, even though we may be blind to the depth and details of that sinfulness, then we can make a true confession and expect to be forgiven by God.  But, that humility demands that we forgive others as we would hope to be forgiven, otherwise,we are not being honest in our own relationship with God.   

In our first reading, Paul demonstrates the kind of forgiveness I have been talking about.  Paul has put himself out for the Corinthians.  And yet, they have challenged his authority; they have listened to others preach behind his back.  And yet Paul forgives them- he writes them and asks for a return to harmony.  At the end of that reading, Paul says something very profound.  He tells us why we must forgive others.  We need to forgive for the same reason that Jesus forgives- out of Love. 

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