THE BLESSING
OF FORGIVENESS

INTRODUCTION

Let me say a few words on forgiveness – one of the great gifts to keep on our fingertips – to be handed out freely at key moments in our lives – especially when there are hurts. So the title of my homily for this St. Patrick's Day is, “The Blessing of Forgiveness.”

REFLECTION

The blessing of forgiveness is twofold – for the one forgiven, but especially for the one who forgives.

Today’s gospel talks about forgiveness – forgiving and being forgiven.

Today’s gospel tells the story about the day Peter asked Jesus the question, “When my brother wrongs me, how often must I forgive him? Is seven times enough?”

Every time I read this – since my name is Andrew – who was the brother of Peter, I hear Peter’s question about forgiveness loud and clear.

And Jesus answers the question with a story – a story about a man who was forgiven a Madoff amount of money that he owed this other guy. As you know Madoff is the guy who made off with a lot of money. This guy doesn’t have to go to jail. He’s forgiven. He goes out side and won’t forgive this man who owes him a tiny fraction of what he was just forgiven. In fact, steaming, he starts screaming at the man, “Pay back what you owe me?” And just as he begged – this man begged him for time. He didn’t forgive like he was forgiven. Instead he had this man thrown into prison till he paid back the last penny that was owed. When word got out on what he did, his fellow servants screamed and went to the master who had forgiven this man in the first place. Well, of course the master had the man arrested and tortured till he paid him back in full.

Today’s gospel has as it’s bottom line: “My heavenly Father will treat you in exactly the same way unless each of you forgives his brother or sister from the heart.”

Today’s gospel basically spells out what we pray about in the Our Father, “Hey God, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Anyone who knows Irish history knows that the land might be green on top– but underneath it’s red – red from the blood of invaders from the outsider as well as family and tribal feuds by insiders – as is the history of most lands around the world.

Anyone who has been to Ireland knows that Ireland is a land of saints and scholars, rain and rocks. Lots of rocks. Lots of heavy rocks. Lots of old rocks. Rocks everywhere.

Anyone who has been to Ireland knows that one of the key spots to visit is the Blarney Stone. Kiss the Blarney Stone and you’ll have the gift of gab for life. I kissed it in 1996 and it added 5 minutes to every sermon ever since.

There should be a statue sculpted for the person who came up with The Blarney Stone idea. It certainly helped the motel, bed and breakfast, and restaurants in that area of Ireland.

The title of my homily is, “The Blessing of Forgiveness.”

It’s a blessing that instead of throwing stones, people take stones in hand, kiss them goodbye – and drop them to the ground so they can shake hands with their brother or sister.

It’s a blessing that instead of holding onto ways we feel our brother or sister hurt us, we drop those resentments and hurts like dropping stones to the ground. Why do that? Well, anger, hurt, resentments, remembrances of ways we have been hurt by others – being cheated out of money in a will, made fun of behind our back, being dropped like a stone, are all heavy stones to carry.

If dropped, life is that much lighter … and the road of life is that much easier to walk and to enjoy the shamrocks and flowers along the way.

Are all the rocks of Ireland – rocks dropped by brothers and sisters who could have been “Fighting Irish”?

If forgiven, we are blessed.

If able to forgive, we are doubly blessed.

CONCLUSION: IRISH STORY

There is an old Irish story that tells about two friends walking through the desert. An argument began as they walked. One friend slapped the other friend in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand, “Today my best friend slapped me in the face.”

They kept on walking through the desert until they came to an oasis. “Water finally.” As the one who was slapped tip toed towards the water, he got stuck in mud and water and started to drown. The friend saved him. After recovering from nearly drowning, he wrote on a stone, “Today my best friend saved my life.”

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?” The other friend replied: “When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.”

Obviously this was a story written by someone who kissed the Blarney Stone – but it has a great message on the importance of forgiveness.