Word to the Wise
Friday, March 4, 2011 - Friday in the 8th Week in Ordinary Time
[Sir 44:1, 9-13 and Mark 11:11-26]When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly father may in turn forgive you your transgressions. [Mark]
In a typical three day parish mission that I preach, the second night is about forgiveness and includes the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The centerpiece of the service (besides the preaching, of course!) is an "Examination of Conscience" that has a focus very different than most people have previously experienced. Instead of focusing on the acts we may have done, the "Examination" aims at relationships. This has the effect of "putting a face" on the various offenses we may have committed and on the need to ask forgiveness from those we may have hurt or to forgive those who may have hurt us! The impact shows in the confessions that follow soon after!
In the preaching before the "Examination," I often begin by asking the congregation if they know how often they have prayed The Lord's Prayer. No one has ever tried to name the number of times! I point out that every time of those thousands of times we ask God to forgive us to the extent that we forgive others! This is the point of the service as I present it. The words from the Gospel of Mark, quoted above make it clear that we must forgive our brothers and sisters if we expect God to forgive us. Those words also require us to think of actual persons! Sin and forgiveness are social acts. Someone always gets hurt.
With Lent coming up, the annual decision about what to "give up" might better be directed toward deciding what to do about the "grudges." Can we give those up? Can we by the end of Lent "stand to pray" and not have any grievances to forgive? That would be a Lent well spent! AMEN
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