We must always forgive

WE MUST FORGIVE

Lk. 6:27-38

One of the basic instincts of our fallen nature is the urge for revenge.  We are all too familiar with scenes outside the Old Bailey when a convicted criminal is led out to prison, how the onlookers shout abuses and curses.  You can even hear someone shout, “Lock him up and throw away the key!”  Whilst our horror and revulsion at the crime committed is perfectly right and legitimate, our bloodthirsty attitude towards the criminal reflects a perverted sense of justice which doesn’t square up with God’s justice.  Pursuing a vendetta does not undo the first crime, but instead adds a second crime.  Even so, such is the attitude that is portrayed as popular and natural.  Stories of people forgiving their enemies hardly hit the headlines, but when you do hear someone who has been mortally offended forgive their enemies, it is like a breath of fresh air.  Something inside us wants to applaud them for their generous spirit.

All of us are challenged by today’s Gospel to examine our hearts to see if we harbour towards any person an unforgiving and vindictive attitude.  It is an opportunity to remind ourselves of why we are to forgive our enemies and how we are to do so.

God is infinitely holy and, therefore, every sin, to some degree, is a crime against God.  We were born in a state of original sin and even after being forgiven of all our sins in Baptism, we continue to sin.  Baptism does not remove concupiscence, our inclination to sin, but God is always ready to forgive us, despite the fact that by our sins we make ourselves His enemies.  Remember how Christ forgave His murderers from the Cross.  If we are to be disciples of Christ, we too must forgive our enemies.  Those who say forgiveness is a sign of weakness are wrong.  Forgiveness is a divine quality, and far from being a sign of weakness, it is a sign of power.  The person becomes Christ-like in the very act of forgiving his enemy.  Although we find it so very hard to forgive, Jesus urges us to follow His example and forgive.  What is more, He will give us the strength to forgive our enemies.   

In forgiving we can learn to be compassionate.  We begin to try and feel for the other person.  I don’t think we can forgive a person, unless we have compassion for him.  Compassion means to ‘suffer with’, that is, to step into the other person’s shoes and try to experience his woundedness which had led him to commit this crime.

What we must never forget is that we can only have our sins forgiven if we forgive others.  That's how it works with God.  Jesus taught us this in His prayer, 'Our Father'.  'Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.'  This is perhaps the hardest petition to observe in the Our Father.

Lack of forgiveness only harbours in our heart a lack of peace and joy.  We harbour ill-feeling which we must get rid of.  Let us be like God - hating the sin and loving the sinner.  Then we shall be most certainly the sons and daughters of our Father in heaven.

Lord Jesus, remove from our hearts all hatred, animosity and a lack of forgiveness from our hearts.  May we learn from You how to forgive our enemies.

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