20220314 FORGIVENESS THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL OF MERCY
14 March, 2022, Monday, 2nd Week of Lent
First reading | Daniel 9:4-10 © |
Yours is the integrity, Lord; ours the shame
O Lord, God great and to be feared, you keep the covenant and have kindness for those who love you and keep your commandments: we have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly, we have betrayed your commandments and your ordinances and turned away from them. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. Integrity, Lord, is yours; ours the look of shame we wear today, we, the people of Judah, the citizens of Jerusalem, the whole of Israel, near and far away, in every country to which you have dispersed us because of the treason we have committed against you. To us, Lord, the look of shame belongs, to our kings, our princes, our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God mercy and pardon belong, because we have betrayed him, and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God nor followed the laws he has given us through his servants the prophets.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 78(79):8-9,11,13 © |
Do not treat us according to our sins, O Lord.
Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us.
Let your compassion hasten to meet us;
we are left in the depths of distress.
Do not treat us according to our sins, O Lord.
O God our saviour, come to our help.
Come for the sake of the glory of your name.
O Lord our God, forgive us our sins;
rescue us for the sake of your name.
Do not treat us according to our sins, O Lord.
Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;
let your strong arm reprieve those condemned to die.
But we, your people, the flock of your pasture,
will give you thanks for ever and ever.
We will tell your praise from age to age.
Do not treat us according to our sins, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation |
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower;
whoever finds this seed will remain for ever.
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
Or: | cf.Jn6:63,68 |
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life.
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
Gospel | Luke 6:36-38 © |
Grant pardon, and you will be pardoned
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’
FORGIVENESS THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL OF MERCY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Dan 9:4-10; Ps 79:8-9,11,13; Lk 6:36-38]
The theme of forgiveness is central to the teaching of Christ. Christ has come to reveal to us the mercy of God, especially His forgiveness. Not only by His teaching but by His actions, He manifests the mercy and forgiveness of God. Indeed, forgiveness is the eschatological gift of the Spirit, that is, the gift in the last days. This explains why immediately after His resurrection, the first gift that Jesus imparted to the disciples was the gift of peace.
Why is forgiveness so essential to the gospel proclamation? This is because forgiveness is the key to the restoration of not just relationships but of the person himself. Forgiveness brings about healing of the mind, soul, and body. Joy and peace are the fruits of forgiveness. Forgiveness therefore is not just for the sake of our enemies, or those who have offended us, but primarily for ourselves. This is reiterated by the exhortation of Jesus, “Grant pardon, and you will be pardoned.” If we cannot forgive others, then we cannot forgive ourselves. How can we truly forgive others if we cannot even forgive ourselves? So if we want to forgive ourselves and find peace, we must forgive those who have hurt us. Indeed, forgiveness is the gateway to healing, peace, reconciliation, joy, and love.
How can we forgive? Firstly, we must not judge. This is what the Lord says. “Do not judge and you will not be judged yourselves.” Why is judgment wrong? The judgment that is referred to is not objective judgment but subjective judgment. It is not wrong to judge things objectively. Even then, our so-called objective judgment is coloured by our upbringing, prejudices, past experiences, cultural background, and knowledge. What is forbidden however is judging the intention and heart of the sinner. We never know what the sinner is going through, the circumstances that led him to do what he did. Most of the time as Jesus says, our sin is due to ignorance, pride, fear and anger.
Instead of judgment, we are to approach sinners with compassion. The way of compassion required here is one of empathy. Whereas judgment sees from outside, empathy looks from within and is identified with the heart and feeling of the person. Empathy therefore goes beyond right and wrong. It is to be one with our fellowmen in pain, in their struggles, in their fears and anger. When we are feeling with someone, we share his pain and understand the reason for his action, regardless whether the action is right or wrong. When that happens, the person feels understood, loved, and accepted. This acceptance of oneself and knowing that one is loved and understood by another brings about healing and restoration. Flowing from this healing is the desire to change and to extend the same love and understanding he has received to others. Love is the reason for giving up evil and doing good.
Secondly, we must not condemn. Jesus says, “Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves.” When we condemn others, we make them feel like criminals. The more we condemn them, the more shameful they become. Indeed, shame is expressed in the first reading. “Integrity, Lord, is yours; ours the look of shame we wear today, we, the people of Judah, the citizens of Jerusalem, the whole of Israel, near and far away, in every country to which you have dispersed us because of the treason we have committed against you. To us, Lord, the look of shame belongs, to our kings, our princes, our ancestors, because we have sinned against you.”
Shame is destructive. It can make a person hate himself even more for doing such evil things and for committing such mistakes. Truly, there are many of us who continue to live in shame because of our past. That is why we try so hard to fight against our shame by doing well to overwrite that shame. Quite often, egoistic ambition is the consequence of shame. We say to ourselves that we do not want to be seen in that manner. The motivation for change is not because we want to do good and live a good life but simply because of pride and what people may think of us. We want to be respected and honoured by others.
Conversely, shame can cause the person to sin even more when it becomes perverted. Because he hates himself so much, and finding himself unable to overcome his sins, he chooses to commit more atrocious crimes. He silences his conscience and does more wicked deeds to prove that he is powerful, ruthless, and fearless. In this way, he can command people to fear him. From shame he becomes shameless! This is the irony of the sinner. This accounts for why some people choose to remain as notorious gangsters and womanizers.
The way to overcome condemnation is to remember that we are sinners ourselves. We are not perfect. We are fellow sinners with the rest of humanity. The first reading invites us to examine our conscience. Can we honestly say with the prophet and the Israelites, “we have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly; we have betrayed your commandments and your ordinances and turned away from them. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.” Where have we sinned specifically? What wrongs have we done? When did we act wickedly? When have we betrayed God, our loved ones, and our friends? When have we rejected the messengers of God who comes to us through the Word of God, our superiors, our loved ones, and our friends? Indeed, if only we do our examen daily or even two or three times a day, then we can hold our tongue from criticizing and our minds from judging others because we are no better than these very people whom we condemn when we have sinned in other ways.
But the heart and the power of forgiveness is when we contemplate on God’s compassion and forgiveness in Christ. This is the crux of the Christian message. Jesus says, “Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate.” The heart of God is mercy. The psalmist’ basis for asking forgiveness is because of God’s glory and name. He prayed, “O God our saviour, come to our help. Come for the sake of the glory of your name. O Lord our God, forgive us our sins; rescue us for the sake of your name.” The prophet also prayed, “To the Lord our God mercy and pardon belong, because we have betrayed him, and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God nor followed the laws he has given us through his servants the prophets.” Indeed, the psalmist says, God does not treat us according to our sins. “Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us. Let your compassion hasten to meet us; we are left in the depths of distress.”
The origin of compassion is our receipt of God’s mercy and forgiveness. If we have received His mercy, then we cannot withhold what we have received from others who have hurt us. Only by receiving His forgiveness, are we set free from fear and hatred. What we have received, we give to others because they too are weak like us. Let us give the greatest of all gifts, the gift of forgiveness, to ourselves by forgiving others. The Lord assures us, “Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.” The outcome of forgiveness is true freedom, liberation from fear and the bondage of our enemies, and most of all, joy and peace.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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