Helps for Forgiveness

Sirach 27:30  “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight.”  Message is especially right now in our country – violence causing so much anger and hatred – Jesus calls us to forgive our brothers – sometimes it’s not too hard, because it wasn’t too big of an offense – sometimes it can be extremely hard – if He is asking it, it’s because He knows how powerful it is – when someone intentionally hurts another person, it’s like a poison – the perpetrator poisons the person who is hurt, causes anger and hatred and desire for revenge – and the power of satan begins to grow and grow – forgiveness is like an antidote, which begins in the person who forgives and is offered to the perpetrator, to liberate us from this poison – clarify a few things that forgiveness is not – it does not mean accepting evil – it means loving the person and hating the evil – it is not a denial of justice – forgiveness does not destroy justice – it leaves justice to the one who is justice, the Lord said, “Vengeance is mine.” – so we entrust to Him the justice – forgiveness is also not the same thing as forgetting – Catechism says it’s not in our power not to feel, or forget an offense – so when Jesus says to forgive from your heart He is not talking about a feeling – He’s talking about an act of the will – so when we forgive it doesn’t mean we don’t feel it any more – and it doesn’t mean we have forgotten – it’s an act of our will, which we know is hard – right now in this Mass is an opportunity to do what our Lord is asking us – “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us” – so today, forgive at least one person – at the moment of the offertory, we can offer to the Lord, the forgiveness we’ve made today, so that we can leave this Mass lighter and freer, liberated from that poison – providential that we are here with our Blessed Mother, because she was at Calvary and knows what’s it’s like to see her Son so cruelly treated and also to be called to make an act of forgiveness – begin by asking the Holy Spirit who does He want us to forgive today – maybe it’s more than one person – take a moment to ask that of the Holy Spirit – Three helps we can do right now at Mass or anytime – 1) To come to Jesus crucified – to come in Spirit to the foot of the cross – at Mass we have the crucifix of Jesus – the Mass itself unites us to the sacrifice of Jesus – so here we come in spirit to Jesus crucified – because we have suffered injustice and cruelty, we come to Him who also suffered injustice and terrible cruelty – He understands us – He is united to us in what we have suffered – when He was nailed to the cross, His first words were “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” – there was a tremendous power being unleashed at that moment – when satan was trying to destroy Jesus saving Mission, and Jesus was so vulnerable and abandoned, and the moment when He would be most justified for crying out for vengeance – He said, ”Father, forgive them” – so Jesus is speaking in His human weakness but also in an act of divine power – which begins to destroy satan’s power – Jesus who has forgiven us, calls us to forgive, and from Him graces flow – 2) ask for His help – forgiveness is difficult, but asking for His help is a sign we are trying – may not feel the strength, or desire, but we know He is asking us to do it for Him – maybe we don’t want to do it for the person who has hurt us, but we can do it for Jesus – asking of Him begins to liberate our hearts – 3) we can ask Him to forgive in us – Lord I know you are asking me to forgive, but I know I can’t do it, so I am asking you to forgive in me – giving Him permission to forgive in me and for me – that’s an act of acknowledging our weakness, and how much someone has hurt us, but triumphing over that evil by our will to forgive and our humility to trust – like a little child, saying I can’t, but you do it for me – so in this Mass, at the moment of the offertory, you can offer to Jesus your efforts to follow Him – liberate us and destroy satan’s poison – Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.