The power to forgive begins when we are able to name our pain, our anger and, here is the hard part, our need to be forgiven, too. When we are able to remember our sin, our flawed behavior, we are more able to move from pharisaism to kindness, from harsh and judgmental to compassionate and gracious.
The greatness of Alcoholics Anonymous is seen in the fact that everyone in the room is terribly aware of their own weakness. Everyone in the room knows how powerful addiction can become. Everyone in the room knows that they need a higher power; they need God, in order to get them through every day.
Jesus helps us with this. In a modern translation he says, “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging.”
I’ve noticed in my life and in my ministry when there is a tendency on my part or the part of a parishioner to be overly judgmental about another there is usually something going on in my life or theirs that needs to be noted. By jumping on someone else’s failure we can avoid our own particular problem. Often, the issue is not the issue.
If you look closely at the life of Jesus you’ll see that the people he spent most of his time with were the most disrespected people in his community. When asked about this he said, more or less, “These people KNOW they need forgiveness. Some of you don’t think you need it.”
Jesus sees every human being as a marvelous creation of God. Jesus treats every human being as a brother or sister. Jesus insists that we see this way also. He asks us to remember that we are a part of a forgiven community. When we remember our own need for forgiveness, we create a space for a forgiven community to exist.
This is not always easy. Learning to forgive each other can often cause great emotional pain. Maybe the courage to forgive begins when we can look in the mirror and remember that one needs forgiveness too.
Grace and peace to you,
