Word to the Wise
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 - Tuesday in the First Week of Lent
[Isaiah 55:10-11 and Matthew 6:7-15]If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. (Matthew)
As I write this I am presently in the city of San Marcos, TX, to preach a Lenten Mission. The mission usually lasts three days and the second day is given to the theme of forgiveness. The passage quoted above is taken from the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus teaches the disciples the prayer that we call the "Our Father" or "the Lord's Prayer." But those lines are repeated by Jesus later on in the Gospel of Matthew after the parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matt 18:21-35). I usually read that parable at the mission service. It can be startling to realize that we ask God to forgive us to the extent that we forgive others! In other words, forgiveness is not confined to the Sacrament of Reconciliation! At the mission service I utilize an "examination of conscience" that attempts to get at forgiveness by focusing on the various types of relationships that most people have, and how those may have been damaged or a cause of pain through our conduct. These run the gamut from professional people like doctors, teachers, etc. to co-workers to friends, children, spouse and "that one person I said I would never forgive" and, importantly, to ourselves as well. It seems to me that a Lent in which we are able to forgive and to ask forgiveness can be a powerful experience. It beats giving up chocolate! AMEN
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