A single mom received a dreaded phone call in the middle of the night. It was the police. Her teenage daughter Susie was stopped by the police for driving under the influence of alcohol. You need to come down to the police station immediately. As mom was hurriedly driving to the police station, she was going over in her mind the conversation she has had with Susie about the family’s absolute rule that she was not to drink and drive. Mom already had had second and third thoughts about this party her daughter was going to.
When her daughter was released to her, the ride home was marked by a stony silence. Mom was seething but could not say a word. Susie was embarrassed but did not speak. She went to bed without saying a word.
The next morning Mom was up at the breakfast table and had set a place for her daughter. Susie stayed in her bed room as long as possible but finally had no choice but to come out. As she arrived at the breakfast table, she saw a wrapped gift at her place. She asked: “Who is that for?” Mom responded: “It’s for you.” As she opened it, she found a large rock. Cynically she asked: “What’s this about?” With tears in her eyes, Mom said: “It took a thousand years for God to make this rock. That’s how long it will be before I stop loving you.” Then mom and daughter embraced each other finding a new beginning with much love and forgiveness in their hearts. Mom was also revealing to her daughter the unending love and forgiveness of God.
May we be a people who love generously and forgive easily. The truth of our lives for all of us is we all need to forgive, and we all need forgiveness. That is the message of today’s Scriptures. This is such an important message. The future of our nation, the future of our Church, the future of the world is in the hands of those who forgive. There is no way of understating the need for forgiveness in life.
Yes, we all have been hurt. We have been treated unfairly at times. My sister Jean was telling me that she asked her six year old grandson how his first day at school was. Reid emphatically said: “IT was the worst day of my life.” “Why,” she asked. He said: “A girl kicked me.” My sister said Reid has a difficult time forgiving and forgetting. My sister said regrettably that poor girl is going to get kicked back at some time.
The message for forgiveness is difficult for Reid. I wish this wasn’t true. The message for forgiveness is a challenge for many of us as well. To forgive, we need to surrender our right to get even. For many of us who are a bit older than Reid, we still have trouble surrendering our right to get even.
The message that my grandnephew Reid needs to learn is the message all of us need to learn. Meanness of spirit needs to be replaced with a generosity of spirit, the spirit of forgiveness that is permanent and unconditional.
In the Gospel, Peter wanted to know if he had to forgive seven times. Jesus responds: “I say to you, not seven times, seventy-seven times” Then Jesus tells the parable in which he insists that we have a forgiving spirit. Forgiveness is a central characteristic of a Christina lifestyle.
This past week I was on eight day directed retreat modeled on the spiritual exercises of St Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits. During the retreat, I had the wonderful opportunity of celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation. What a blessing for my life. The experience of forgiveness leads us to a radical understanding of the doctrine of grace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We are saved not by finally getting it right, but by the love of Christ that redeems while we are getting it wrong. Once more the grace of the Sacrament of Reconciliation leads us to that deep awareness that we are saved not by finally getting it right, but by the love of Christ that redeems us while we are getting it wrong.
Followers of Jesus can never be minimalist in matters of justice, charity and even forgiveness. God shares with us an abundance of love and forgiveness. We are to do likewise – sharing love and forgiveness in abundance with one another. As a side note, the connection between the CMA and today’s Gospel is that the disciple of Jesus can never be a minimalist in the way we share forgiveness and also in the way we share from our treasure with those in need, the CMA is our privileged way of being generous in responding to the needs of the diocese.
In our prayer today, we thank God for all those who have taught our world forgiveness:
- Spouses who welcomed those who have been unfaithful.
- Members of the black community who work for racial harmony in their neighborhoods.
- Victims of prejudice because of their sexuality, color of their skin, or the way they worship God who have responded to hurt and hatred with love and forgiveness.
We give thanks, unlike the king in Jesus’ parable, that they did not let themselves be turned aside from the path of forgiveness but forgave seventy seven times.
Lord God have pity on the many countries, including our own country that are being torn apart by traditional hatreds. Send them men and women who will show their compatriots that unless they forgive from their hearts they will forever be tortured by hatred and the desire for revenge.
As we know from the Lord’s Prayer, our best insurance police to receive God’s forgiveness is our willingness to forgive others.