Peter approached Jesus and asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.( Matt 18:21-22).
Friends, if you have had a good confession with a priest before, you undoubtedly have experienced the complete joy of reassurance and forgiveness. Forgiveness produces incredible confidence and trust in us, others, the Church, and God; it is a four-way relationship, for every sin we commit is an offense to ourselves, others, the Church, and God.
However, forgiveness trumps the sin we commit, even the most terrible ones. Jesus' teachings emphasize the unlimited forgiveness we all deserve from others as a condition for getting a divine pardon. Jesus used the harsh condemnation meted out to the unforgiving servant to make clear his message. "So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart."
Jesus’ teaching cautions us not behave like the rich man who asked Abraham to send Lazarus to caution his brothers not to waste the opportunities they have to prepare well to meet God and received the answer: 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them'( Lk 16:29).
Sometimes, we encourage others to "learn to forgive" to reflect how difficult forgiveness can be. Yet, Jesus challenges us by raising the bar high, "seventy-seven times," making forgiveness more than something we practice and succeed or fail to get better at it.
Forgiveness becomes something we do like Azim and his family did when they decided to visit, forgive, and befriend Tony Hicks after he killed their son, Tariq in San Diego.
Let's not take the healing power of forgiveness for granted. It makes us feel better; it heals broken relationships, helps us come clean, and enables us to witness others. Is there someone in your life that you must forgive? Forgive and you will also receive it from God.
Prayer blessings: Lord, to forgive is hard, especially when it involves deep hurts. Make your grace remove the scars of hurt and accumulated dirt of unforgiveness in my soul, heart, and memory as I work my way towards forgiving myself and others. Amen.