FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness,
a skill, an ability,
difficult to practice, difficult to acquire,
difficult to make it an ongoing part of one’s life,
especially when the other doesn’t seem to change
or at least say or show some sorrow.

Forgiveness,
something that Jesus made central
to living his way of doing and loving life.

Forgiveness,
doesn’t mean you have to forget,
doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt,
doesn’t mean you want the other to continue
the stupidity or nastiness or what have you,
doesn’t mean it’s easy,
but it simply means to forgive the other –
and in time to learn what Jesus learned
and said from the cross to his Father
up above about those spitting and yelling at him
from down below, “Father forgive them
for they do not know what they are doing.”

Forgiveness,
knowing that retaliation usually doesn’t stop,
till I stop the retaliation, the regurgitations,
the comeback curses, the active and passive aggression,
knowing that an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,
only seem to make the blind more blind
and the toothless to still have a bad bite
and a bad taste in their mouth.

Forgiveness,
having the hope that the one forgiven will get it
and then they will go out
and forgive those who have trespassed against them,
and then they go out and forgive those
who have trespassed against them,
and on and on and on,
hopefully continuing the cycle of forgiveness,
till it goes around and around our world and then back again.

Forgiveness,
also knowing and being aware
that sometimes we’re the one who needs forgiveness, 
because we’re the one who has failed;
we’re the one who blew up or lashed out or messed up;
but also knowing, we can say we’re sorry and start again,
knowing that God always forgives us
70 times 7 times and then some –
because God doesn’t count sins.
God only counts sheep and keeps looking for lost ones.

Forgiveness,
a liberating feeling – letting go of not only being hurt
but of letting go of the sin of pride –
allowing ourselves to have made mistakes
and started again – just like the person we’ve forgiven - hopefully.

Forgiveness,
forgiveness of all our sins,
sins from A to Z – avarice and abortion and affairs
to zig zagging when it comes to truth or zapping others with gossip.

Forgiveness,
a great gift from God
that helps us become more and more like God -
a God who is often blamed
for some of the worst things that happen.

Forgiveness,
knowing that turning the other cheek,
going the extra mile is not just poetry,
but the secret for resurrection and change,
knowing that forgiveness is all about dying and denial of self,
a crucifixion in oneself, so that Good Friday people
can rise and wake up as Easter people. Amen.

[This is a first draft reflection on forgivness I wrote last night for this 3rd Tuesday in Lent. I have preached often on this gospel story from Matthew 18: 21-35 - so I thought a change in pace would be helpful. Amen.]

(c) Andy Costello, Reflections 2011