FORGIVENESS
HAS NO LIMITS
Jesus teaches that one must forgive in order to be forgiven. If
we do not forgive our fellow human beings, we cannot expect God to forgive us
in turn. The Apostle James says, "Judgment is without mercy to one who has
shown no mercy" (James 2:13). Mercy
is truly a gift, and it is offered in such a way that justice is not negated.
Mercy seasons justice as salt seasons meat and gives it flavor. C.S. Lewis, a
20th-century Christian author, wrote: "Mercy will flower only when it
grows in the crannies of the rock of Justice: transplanted to the marshlands of
mere Humanitarianism, it becomes a man-eating weed, all the more dangerous
because it is still called by the same name as the mountain variety." If
we want mercy shown to us we must be ready to forgive others as God has
forgiven us.
We grant forgiveness almost every day of our lives. Most of the
offenses are trivial and unintentional. Forgiveness becomes problematic only
when the trespasses are more serious, when they are intentional, and especially
when they are repeated.
Behind Peter's question, "Lord, how often, seven
times?" are two possible concerns: one focusing on the offended party and
the other on the offender. Experience suggests that there must be limits to
patience with misbehavior. We have used these words from time to time in our
lives, "Enough is enough." Peter felt that this statement was generous
to Jesus, but Jesus responds that he must forgive indefinitely:
"seventy-seven times" (Mt18: 22). You might question as Peter did in
his mind: how are we to do it? It seems not only impossible but also likely to
disrupt the normal way of daily life. It seems to take away from
accountability. Possibly, the answer is that the parable and the teaching of
Jesus Christ is concerned with what goes on in our hearts; we must be free from
anger and revenge. Being forgiving says nothing about the responsibility that
you and I should not offend in the first place. Jesus' story today makes the
point that we do not try to cover every facet of an issue. Other parables about
the good use of our talents, for instance, make the point that you and I should
do whatever we do as well as possible, with honesty, integrity, and respect to
others.
In our prayers today, let us be aware that our forgiveness by
God is conditioned by our willingness to forgive. Forgiveness has no limits!