Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. ... Psalm 148

If you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you forgive not others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ... Matthew 6:14-15

"Love is never wasted, and this special rarefied form of love...forgiving...seals the world perpetually to its destiny. When forgiveness occurs, an event of cosmic proportions takes place: divisions are healed and the world moves closer to the state in which it was created."
     Doris Donnelly, in Learning to Forgive,
     Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tennessee, 10790

Recently, a popular talk show's invited guests were crime victims, who had, through a special counseling program in the prisons, met their assailants, listened to their apologies, and eventually had forgiven them for their crimes against them. One woman, who had been shot by an intruder, appeared with the intruder on the show. She used the word, "friends" to describe their present relationship. Together they counseled inmates on the therapeutic benefits of apologizing, face to face, to their victims.

Other guests were the sister and the mother of a woman who had been brutally raped and murdered by three men. The mother and sister agreed to meet with one of the rapists, 15 years later, in prison. This man was able to fill in the blanks for them and tell them that before his accomplice pulled the trigger, the victim told him that she forgave him, and that God did too. Her words, he claimed, had worked on him until he "found God" in prison. He was presently part of an active Christian prison ministry. This meeting brought closure to the family members, and affirmed for them the fact that the strong Christian character of their loved one had remained steadfast in the face of death. The forgiveness the victim had offered her assailants prompted her family members to begin their own process of learning to forgive. Ultimately this process released them from the "prison" of their hatred, and the rapist from his shame and guilt.

In each case healing was evident; God's presence was palpable! Some of the participants in this program emphatically recognized, acknowledged, and publicly glorified God for His presence and leading in this process of repentance and forgiveness. Others simply credited themselves and the counselors who guided them through the process.

As I reflect on the process of forgiveness in our lives as Christians, two "snapshots" of true forgiveness, engraved on my heart and mind forever, emerge. One is Jesus Christ on the cross, in the throes of death, praying to God, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do," and the other is Pope John Paul II, in a prison cell, stooped over, blessing the man who attempted to take his life. These two images serve as examples of love in its most perfect, selfless form.

To my way of thinking, we humans cannot, of our own power, forgive others...or even ourselves...without divine intervention, solicited or unsolicited. We hold on to grudges and hardened hearts for too many reasons that serve our human purposes, to let go easily. In the fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer, God, knowing our human nature so well, bargains with us when he links his granting us forgiveness for our sins with our need to forgive those who sin against us. We can always trust that he will provide resources and strength for us to accomplish what he wants for us. In this case...learning to forgive... he places models of forgiveness in our paths; he provides us with examples of the consequences of both forgiving and not forgiving in Scripture....all this to encourage us to choose forgiveness for our own soul's sake. By asking for a forgiving heart, in prayer, our will becomes reconciled with that of God, and therefore he allows a forgiving spirit to unfold within us. Getting to the point of reconciling our will with God's will can take years, or it can be instantaneous. Either way, once we arrive at that point, there is no turning back. The change that happens in our hearts and in our thinking is permanent. It's still a mystery to me...pure grace...but I am grateful the gift of forgiveness is ours...for the asking. Thanks be to God.

Let us pray
Lord Jesus, thank you for taking all our sins to the cross with you, so that we might experience the healing grace of God's forgiveness. Give us contrite hearts, repentant spirits, and compassion for those who need our forgiveness. Fill our hearts with thankfulness and joy for your unconditional love and forgiveness. Amen

Contributed by Donna S.
Published Sunday July 31, 2005
Week 36 of Liturgical Year A