“As we forgive those who trespass against us.”
The One Condition in the Lord’s Prayer
Of all the lines in the Lord’s Prayer, this is the only conditional statement. That should say something to us.
Of course, every line of the prayer given to us by God Himself is important. We have an address (Our Father), statement of fact (hallowed be Thy name), or requests (daily bread, deliver us from evil); but lately I’ve been thinking about this condition.
It is interesting that we pray for something only to happen if we hold up our side?
You’d think the ideal request would be simply “Forgive us…” and that’s it.
Is this agreement part of our covenant with God where we ask for x if we promise to do y? Or when teaching his disciples to pray, did Jesus add this line in just because he knew that we need it?
Regardless, this condition exists at the heart of the Lord’s Prayer as a fulcrum in our faith.
Letting Go on Our Side of Forgiveness
Think of a seesaw. Forgiveness is the fulcrum in the middle. As we shift the weight of hurts and wrongdoings that we hold on to from our side, past the point of forgiveness to God’s side, He is able to take them from us and bring down his Divine Mercy.
Our forgiveness of others goes up and away, God’s forgiveness of us comes down.
Similarly, if we are holding on and letting hurts from others weigh our side down, we leave healing and mercy hanging up out of reach on the other side.
If over time, we get weighed down again. Then we need is shift those hurts and wrongdoings back over to God’s side. Let go of them. Jesus will deal with them as His end is lowered down.
Forgiveness is Reverse Golden Rule
Every little kid is taught Matthew 7:12 whether they know it or not: “Treat others how you want to be treated.”
The condition to forgive in the Our Father is similar to that, but in the past tense. “God, please treat me the way I have treated others” when it comes to forgiveness.
This should make me question “How do I respond when others offend me?” If the answer is to get angry and hold a grudge, well shoot, that is going to stink for me. I wouldn’t want anyone to feel that way towards me – especially not God!
I know I need to work on this, but we are called to give others the benefit of the doubt. When trying to grow in forgiveness, it helps to remember that we all have failings and need forgiveness too.
Sinners and Saints
I’ve heard this quote a few times this week in a few different ways:
“Any sinner is capable of being a great saint, and any saint is also capable of being a great sinner.”
Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen (check out this song by Catholic Lofi with this quote)
Or in the words of St. Paul:
“For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.“
Part of being Catholic is being able to say “I know the sins I am capable of even though I don’t wish to do them”, therefore, “I see how my brother could hurt me and not wish to do so.” Because of this, I forgive him.
How a Man Becomes a Thief
Despite some real issues theologically about who the Devil is, what angels are, and free will, I like the ideas from this song that lays out a discussion between a clerk and a robber mid theft:
The clerk said “Take anything you need
Just give me one thing before you leave
Tell me how a man becomes a thief
I gotta know”He said “I was a baby, just like you
I had a soul, shiny and new
But I had a ghost in my machine
He got hungry and I got mean
Lucky you, you got the halo
You know I could have been the angel
You could have the Devil”
Okay, no, none of us can be angels, and it’s not about luck; however, I love the pause to ask “How does a man become a thief?”
What is the “ghost in my machine”? It sounds a lot like our tendency toward sin and concupiscence. But we aren’t doomed! We can fight temptation.
Step by Step
It can be a helpful reflection to wonder about how we all fall or rise.
I think what Sean is trying to say in this song, is that the change in us happens over time, for good or worse.
It happens step by step – small choice by small choice.
I don’t think many people wake up one day and decide to do evil things. Instead, we are presented with choices of what to do and how to respond. Each set of choices could be between a great thing or a good thing, a good thing or a slightly less good thing, and so on until good becomes neutral and bad becomes evil.
At the same time, this process can get us out of a rut. We can choose the better option each time we are presented with a choice. This will be the road to virtue.
Practicing Forgiveness
It’s not always easy to forgive.
Some people may have a tendency towards holding on to hurt from others. Interestingly, I probably know more people who have an even harder time letting go of hurt from themselves. This could be missed opportunities, rethinking how we’ve acted in a social situation, or any number of failings that we toss and turn in our minds. While we can learn from our failures, we need to remember to let go and forgive ourselves of these things.
We cannot participate in this “cancel culture” where nothing is redeemable and hurts are eternal. And definitely don’t cancel yourself.
Forgiveness in Practice
So where can we practice forgiveness of self and others?
The best place that comes to mind is in the confessional.
This is where we hear the words “may God grant you pardon and peace.
And I absolve you from your sins“.
Confession goes beyond mere forgiveness the way we are called to forgive one another. It is where God heals our woundedness. His mercy is unfathomable, and He will not refuse to forgive if you have contrition.
I don’t have time to dive into Confession entirely, so you have to trust me for now. It’s important and worth it.
If you need convincing, you can read this book, 7 Secrets of Confession by Vinny Flynn, that got me thinking more about this important sacrament.
Also, in the Catechism in a Year, Fr. Mike Schmitz has been going through a thorough review of the sacrament of Confession (Days 195-202), and it has been beautiful.
Forgiveness Frees Us to Love More
“Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” – Luke 7:47
When Jesus pardons the sinful woman, he points out this fact that we will love more if we are forgiven more. So as we forgive others, we are allowing them to love more and increasing the amount of love in the world!
In the same way, when we recognize where we fall short and ask God for his forgiveness in confession, we are freed up to love greater. God is Love, and He wants that love for us.
It is debated whether or not the sinful woman in this passage is Mary Magdalene or not. Either way, St. Mary Magdalene is woman who knew what forgiveness is and modeled how to receive it well.
With it being her Feast today (July 22nd) it seems fitting to end with:
St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us.
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