Gift of Forgiveness
by Fr.Gus Carter
2/19/06

It seems to me that if there were no forgiveness, God could not have created free beings. Anything created will be less than infinite. God cannot be created. Part of our understanding of God is eternal existence. Since we are not infinite, we can choose lesser good than the best. We have the power to say no to God. Part of being finite is that we do not see clearly, we do not love fully, we can violate the gifts God has given to us. Because of God's humility and graciousness, it is possible for the Lord to forgive our transgressions. A second condition for creation is that humans will have the power to forgive one another. It is the Lord who gives us the power to forgive through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus teaching and example, we are empowered to love, which is the power to overcome separation. An aspect of our being images of God is that we are able to forgive.

Jesus made it clear that if we are not willing to forgive, God cannot forgive us. Forgiveness breaks down the barriers that keep us apart. It is in the light of our being imperfect beings that God can forgive us. Being aware that all of us are flawed, helps us see the necessity for forgiveness. That is the only way that it will be possible for humans to work together for the good of all. In God's plan of creation we have been made to love each other. Awareness of our own imperfections, our own sins, make us realize that we must be ready to forgive. We need compassion for ourselves. We need compassion for the weaknesses of others.

We can see why the great spiritual masters insisted that to live happy and holy lives we must grow in our knowledge of ourselves. St. Augustine constantly prayed, "0 God, I pray that I may know Thee, and that I may know myself."
Many of us remember the famous saying of St. Irenaeus, one of the early church fathers, "The glory of God is a human being fully alive." Fullness of humanity involves gentleness and tenderness, compassion, appreciation for the gifts God has given oneself, appreciating the gifts in others, a special care for suffering and distressed people.

Being fully human means accepting our faults and weaknesses. Karl Jung maintained that only when we have accepted where we are personally, can we change. Being overly critical of oneself results in division of our energies and pitting us psychologically against ourselves. One of the saddest discoveries of modern psychology is that people who hate others are projecting self hatred onto other persons. People who are arrogant, who cannot admit faults in themselves, are, deep down insecure persons. Isn't it sad that for some individuals, the one unforgivable sin is the sin against themselves. They think that it is a major catastrophe that someone should insult their person.

The good news is that Jesus, on earth, has the power to forgive sins. Through Christ we can overcome the selfishness and foolishness that would separate us from God and from our fellow humans. This power of forgiveness, this sign of our forgiveness, is found still in the Body of Christ. The Sacrament of Reconciliation expresses God's enduring love for all humans and the gracious forgiveness that is always offered to us. We finite beings cannot endure without forgiveness. Otherwise the world would be a battleground of bruised egos and angry retribution.

When we forgive, we release others from the burden of the past. We also free ourselves from the painful past by releasing ourselves from the burden of getting even. We place all retribution in the hands of our gracious God. We do not let the actions of others deter us from being loving persons. We are made for love. Forgiveness allows us to continue to be loving persons in spite of what others do. Forgiveness frees us to love under all conditions. Forgiveness allows us to live freely and allows us to help others free themselves for love.