Let God's Forgiveness Of You Flow To Others

Sunday Homily 091320

The subject of forgiveness is one that gets me wound up every time. Maybe because I am a struggler. It is a subject close to my heart and one that tests our sincerity the most. It does not allow us to lie to ourselves. It is either there or not there, there is not ‘in between’. Our very attitudes betray us quickly. We begin to see it in the Old Testament’s story of Joseph in Genesis 50. Even though Joseph had forgiven his brothers for selling him out into slavery. The brothers did not believe Joseph was sincere, so they went to him and pleaded their case after their father died, so he would not take revenge upon them. Joseph’s brothers lived with their woundedness for a longtime. Because they still lived with their guilt, they were uncomfortable, they lived in fear, so they become suspicious of their brother Joseph. It is not a fun thing to live with guilt: Not for an individual, not for a nation. 

When we live with guilt we live in fear, suspicion, we believe that everyone is out to get us, and we cannot believe anyone would seriously forgive us. That is not a good place to be. I wish some nations could consider a public worship service that declares forgiveness to those who committed horrific acts of terrorism, Genocide, and oppression. That is not an easy thing to ask, but a necessary one if we want/need to heal. We need to part ways with our past at some point and begin anew. We must be ready to forgive all that are injurious to us in any way. Tough one, right? With the help of the Holy Spirit we can! Joseph today is a great example to us: He confirmed his intention of true peace and reconciliation with such a great deal of compassion and affection, and he directed his brothers to God, so they can make peace with God.

Jesus did not fail to teach us this lesson. When Peter asked him about how often he should forgive, Jesus replied not seven times, but seventy times seven, which in ancient world meant unlimited times: It is a readiness to forgive from the heart at all times. The tough part is that forgiving does not always get any easier with time, or how close you are. Joseph and his brothers were not close, but they were related. Unreconciled relationships can be devastating to our well-being, that’s why Jesus was pushing us to pursue peace and reconciliation. He used a parable to explain it. This is how I tried to make sense of it. 

A denarius was a daily wage of a workman in ancient Palestine. If we consider 7.25 as the minimum hourly pay, then it is $ 58 per day. The debt that Jesus describes was the equivalent of millions of dollars. In those days you would be super blessed to be alive if you couldn’t pay, or you could be sold into slavery! so in Jesus story, the punishment was reasonable, he was asking for a refinancing/ postponing the payment, but to his surprise, the debt was canceled/scrapped off instead! What an amazing mercy/blessing! Jesus intended to teach his disciples to learn how merciful God has been in forgiving all their sins. What did this man do right after being forgiven? When someone who owe him money came asking for mercy? He did not show the same generosity that was shown him, even though this debt was like pennies compared to his debt of millions of dollars. Likewise, all too often we repay God’s grace with lack of grace for others, God’s forgiveness with unforgiveness towards others. We must show mercy to others, otherwise we would be taking God’s mercy as cheap.

So, what does forgiveness mean for us? Is it a form of words/ a prayer releasing hurts from others? Or is it a feeling, or a determination to let bygones be bygones in our everyday attitudes? All the above! It can be problematic at times, when we must forgive those who seem to be unforgivable: Terrorists, murderers, rapists, child molesters… Not only the gravity of the offense, but also people who seem to be incapable of recognizing the devastating consequences of their offenses, what should we do?

Jesus response to Peter and therefore to us shows that grace knows no boundaries, because God’s forgiveness of us knows no boundaries. Graciousness should be a way of life of a true believer. Pope John Paul II was shot on May 13^th, 1981. Two years later the Pope went to see him in his prison cell. The words of Jesus were coming out of his mouth: I forgave you. It still gives me goosebumps! Let the grace of God and His forgiveness of you flow out freely to others...

Dear friends, Be blessed!