FROM THE PULPIT: FORGIVE THEM SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN TIMES

This seven letter word, composed of a preposition and a verb appears on two of the eight banners currently hanging on the interior of our Church. It reminds us of one of the key challenges of each Lenten Season. Lent is that season in the Church Year of worship in which all members are challenged to grow in their ability to "mirror" Christ Jesus to one another. And the Scriptures assigned for the Weekday and Sunday Liturgies repeatedly stress that "forgiving" is at the very core of discipleship.

In the eighteenth chapter of Matthew's Gospel, Peter addresses this question to Jesus: "Lord, when my brother wrongs me, how often must I forgive him? Seven times?" Given the "eye for eye, a tooth for a tooth" Hebrew culture in which Peter was immersed, I suspect Peter thought he was not quite ready for the answer Jesus gave. "'No,' Jesus replied, 'not seven times; I say, seventy times seven times!'"

In today's Liturgy, we hear the parable of the prodigal son in Luke's Gospel (Ch. 15). As Jesus uses this Parable, it is obvious that he is teaching his disciples about the magnitude of God's love for each human creature. The elder brother's efforts to limit the Father's forgiveness is to no avail. The Father goes out of his way to challenge the younger brother to go beyond his humanity and to become more God-like in his understanding of forgiveness.

Asking for forgiveness does take considerable effort, but giving forgiveness takes even more. This is highlight in the idiom: "To err is human, to forgive is divine." The Lenten Scriptures Liturgies remind us over and over again that we have been created in the "image of God". Since we have been invited to share the life of God through Baptism, we need to grow in our ability to live the virtues of God. In other words, we are called to "mirror" God to one another. We are the ones who are to make God's mercy and compassion tangible in this world.

This is highlighted earlier in Jesus' teachings when he teaches his disciples how to pray. In the Lord's prayer, we pray that God will forgive us our weaknesses in a fashion that is comparable to how we forgive others. This teaching can certainly provide much food for meditation and prayer.

In giving his life for our salvation, Jesus teaches us much about forgiveness during his final hours. He forgives one of the men being executed with him as well as those who had nailed him to the cross. Thus, his example teaches even more loudly than his words. And this brings me back to where I began,

DO WE REALLY SEE "FORGIVENESS" AS INTEGRAL TO DISCIPLESHIP?