The Lent of Forgiveness

 

We have finally reached the beginning of Great Lent. It seems only yesterday that we were in the churches singing and praising God for the glory of the Nativity of Christ and now we are preparing for the celebration of the Holy Resurrection. It is a time of many things, a time of struggle, a time of hope, a time of peace, but also most importantly a time of forgiveness. Forgiveness among all people of all times and places where we can return to the fullness of faith and rest in the Bosom of Abraham that is Jesus Christ. But like so many problems in the world today, people refuse to grant freely what Christ gave us and teaches us. We want to hold grudges and we want punishment for those who have wronged us. But this Lent, this Great Lent, should be the Lent of Forgiveness. If we are to become more Christlike on the path of theosis, then this should be our goal.

Forgiveness is a touchy subject among many people. You see it in the media today when a person commits a sin against the standards of the world. Often that person is cancelled and removed from public life because they are an undesirable, one who has views that cannot be shared by anyone lest they offend. There are those on the opposite end of the spectrum as well, who believe all things should and could be promoted and no apologizing is necessary for their actions. However, when we fall, forgiveness is the medicine not only we give the person who has offended us, but also the gift we give ourselves. St Paul writes, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). He also says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Those of us in Christ who have enjoined ourselves with him through Holy Baptism are a new creation. We should act like it. We should not have the same views as those around us. 

We must forgive everyone whether we like it or not. Jesus reminds us that all of us have sinned, in John 8:7 when the pharisees bring the adulteress to him when he says…“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” Jesus never withheld forgiveness to those who asked. Whether it be the blind beggars, the paralyzed man lowered from the roof into the house for Jesus to heal him, or the man with the withered hand that Jesus healed on the Sabbath. Jesus had compassion and forgiveness for all men regardless of the sins committed. Jesus even offered forgiveness to those who crucified him, which is when in the eyes of the unbelievers Jesus was at his weakest. Jesus said, “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.  (Luke 23:34) Jesus also warns us in his words of what will happen if we refuse forgiveness to those who have wronged us when he says, “But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:15) We will not be forgiven our own sins and trespasses if we do not forgive others. In a world that constantly seeks to destroy us and bring us into their conformity, we must rise above it and reject the earthly notion that people are not worthy of forgiveness. The last bible verse I will leave you with on this is Matthew 18:21-22 when Peter comes to Jesus to ask about forgiving someone who has wronged him. The verses say, “Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

What does forgiveness do? This is a common question among people today. By forgiving them are we condoning their actions?  Certainly not. We know that because of our fallen nature, that people will make mistakes, and that the world will not be completely restored until the Second Coming of Christ. We also cannot forget what they have done to us, or what we have done to them. Time itself goes forward; it cannot be rewound like a VHS tape.  However like I have said it is the gift we give both ourselves and the other party involved. St. Paul says of God when we seek forgiveness, “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:12) Christ also speaks of this when he says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7) Forgiveness grants us mercy. It grants us the freedom from our sins because God has looked upon us in our weakness and frailty and seen that we are but human.  It grants those who give forgiveness mercy because they are blessed. Forgiveness cleanses the soul and washes it clean. Its like clay that can be molded and fashioned into the image of Christ much more easily, than say an unrepentant heart that has turned to stone in its bitterness and cold. When we refuse to forgive, even ourselves, we become bitter. We ensnare our souls with hatred and anger.  The demons are freely allowed to enter our hearts and twist the clay of our souls into their image, not the image of Christ. It allows for more sin to corrupt us and we become prideful. Because really at the heart of all unforgiveness is pride. Whether its our own fault something has occurred and we must seek forgiveness from someone else, or not giving forgiveness to someone who has wronged us. When we let go our pride, then we can receive the blessing spoken in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

 

Amen.