24th Sunday offered at Our Lady of Perpetual Help,
Bethlehem, PA Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091723.cfm
Today’s
Scripture Message is both daunting & formidable in scope and depth. The comedian, actor, writer and singer George
Burns said, “the secret of a good sermon [homily]
is to have a good beginning and a good ending; & have the two as close as
possible.” Today, I will try to follow that advice.
There
is an Irish Blessing that goes like this: “May
those who love us, love us; and those who don’t love us, may God turn their
hearts and if he doesn’t turn their hearts; may God turn their ankles, so we’ll
know them by their limping.” That Irish Blessing is funny, but it doesn’t encourage
forgiveness!
Forgiveness
is learned the hard way – practice, practice, practice. In today’s Gospel Peter finds out that there
is No Limit to the number of times we are called to forgive. Sirach tells us, “Forgive
your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.” It was
difficult for Peter to accept and to practice, and it is difficult for us! Forgiveness
is hard to offer and sometimes very hard to accept; it is mercy in action -
mercy based on justice. Jesus wants us to offer forgiveness and
forgo revenge while retaining our dignity as people created by God.
Our
Readings warn us about letting our hearts become hardened; about revenge &
anger being the source of our actions and our attitudes. Forgiveness begins with empathy, with overcoming
our anger and outrage at the injustice done to us, but instead focusing on the person who
wronged us. It, also, means possessing
the humility to face the hurt we have inflicted & seek forgiveness. “Forgiveness
is the currency of heaven.” [Saint Louis University
Sunday Web Site, 9/17/2023]
It
doesn't bring reconciliation immediately…. it begins the healing. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave us this profound
insight, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness;
only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” [A Gift of Love, Martin Luther
King, Jr]
People who choose to forgive rather than to
seek revenge are souls of great strength and they give us a glimpse of our best
selves. Sometimes we rationalize our
anger as “justified anger” for someone who wronged us, so maybe this story can help
us.
“Forgiveness Written in
Stone”
Two friends who were walking
through the desert, they argued, and one friend slapped the other one in the
face, he said nothing but wrote in the sand,
"Today my best friend slapped me in
the face." They kept on walking until they found an
oasis; the one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning,
his friend saved him.
After he recovered from
nearly drowning, he wrote on a stone, "Today my best friend saved my life." His friend asked
him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in
the sand & now, you write on a stone, why? He
replied, "When someone hurts us, we
should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. When
someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind
can ever erase it." [Stephen Felker, How Often Should I Forgive?
By Sermons.Com]
“God’s love isn’t a reward for being good … God loves us because
God is love.” [Saint
Louis University Sunday Web Site, 9/17/2023] On the Cross Jesus taught us when He prayed, “Father forgive them
for they know not what they do!” The English poet George
Herbert wrote, “He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself
must pass.”
Pray to God, “Anoint me with Your forgiveness as You fill me
with the Blessings of Repentance and a Renewed commitment to follow You. Grant me the fortitude to make You the center
of my life.” [Deacon George
Kelly]
If you struggle with the Christian call to
offer and accept Forgiveness, take a little time and read a terrific book, Don’t Forgive Too
Soon: Extending the Two Hands That Heal. [Dennis, Shelia &
Matthew Linn]
Spend a few minutes, now, reflecting on: Do
you need to forgive someone? Do you need
to accept the Forgiveness that has been offered to you?
May God Be Praised.
