JUST  THE  FACTS  MA’MM

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Tuesday in the 3^rd Week of Lent is, “Just The Facts Ma’am.”

That’s listed by some as one of the 100 best lines on TV.

Joe Friday – on Dragnet - the Los Angeles TV detective  - loved to say those words.

“Just the Facts MA’AM.”

FORGIVENESS

The theme of today’s gospel is forgiveness.

In today’s gospel Peter asks Jesus how many times should he forgive his brother – if his brother sins against him. Then Peter gives a possible number: “As much as 7 times?”

Jesus adds, “I say to you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Then to reinforce his message Jesus adds a parable about a king who does an audit and discovers someone who owed him a huge amount.

The king is a good king and forgives the guy – then the guy won’t forgive someone who owed him a tiny bit. The king is told this and then takes back his forgiveness – throws him in prison - and makes the guy pay the king what he owed him in full. I always wonder if that was smart – because he could be working to get the money.

FORGIVENESS PRO BONO

Have you figured out why Jesus is so strong on forgiveness?

Is it because it’s to our benefit. If we forgive others – we are throwing away poison that can kill us or holding onto stones that weigh us down.

Harboring hurts and resentments and grudges can wear us out and destroy us. They can weigh too much. They can drain us. They can insane us  - getting us to do dangerous things that backfire and do us damage.

ONE GREAT SECRET

The title of my homily is from Dragnet and Joe Friday, “Just The Facts Ma’am.”

When it comes to forgiveness, we need to say what Jesus said from the cross: “Father, forgive them, because they don’t know what they do.”

We can add to that, “Even if I don’t know why they did what they are did.”

We all know the old Native American proverb, “Never criticize another till you walked a mile in their moccasins.” 

I like to reword that a bit and say, “Don’t hold back forgiveness till you’ve walked a mile in another’s sins.” Sound familiar? That’s basically what Jesus said: “Let the one without sin cast the first stone.”

I love saying reading and reflecting upon the  following words from Graham Green’s novel, The Heart of the Matter. Here’s the quote: “Scobie said sharply, ‘Don’t talk nonsense, dear. We’d forgive most things if we knew the facts.’”

I also think that he person who can’t forgive – can be forgiven – more – even if he or she refused to go dragnetting for the facts.

Forgiveness is complicated. It’s the heart of the matter – and the one person who knows about sin and its intricacies – and the long list of facts involved in sin – is us – and we expect God knows – what lurks in the hearts of man – even if God is only a shadow to us. Now that’s another detective story as well.

CONCLUSION

We don’t know all the facts.  Non-forgiveness makes for the messy funeral.