The Divine Continuum of Repentance and Forgiveness

Forgiveness, both extended and received, is at the heart of the Lord’s Prayer and the Gospel message itself. We ask God’s forgiveness while forgiving others in the continuum of reconciliation that exists within agape love. The giving and receiving of forgiveness in, with, and through Christ cannot be bracketed if we are to understand the dynamic that is inherent in this powerful expression of the Paschal Mystery.

Jesus, as we have come to know, had the power to break free from the cross and save himself while retaliating with devastating force against his adversaries. Instead, he prayed for his accusers and forgave them. The divine power of forgiveness transcends what can be readily apprehended in the temporal realm and is only available to us by God’s grace. The “closed loop” of forgiveness involves giving and receiving in an uninterrupted flow. In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, Jesus explains how the circle of forgiveness must remain unbroken:

Then Peter approaching asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.” (Matthew 18:21-35)

It has been said that withholding forgiveness and holding a grudge is like drinking poison to hurt someone else. The power that Jesus extended from the cross by forgiving his persecutors is the ultimate example of divine love in action and the purest expression of agape love on Earth. The suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ that is celebrated at every Mass is bound up in the death to self-will, and the rising of new life in the Spirit. It is through our participation in the Paschal Mystery that we bear the good fruit Jesus promises in our lives.

There is a cost involved when it comes to dying to the harsh dictates of self-love. Loving life as it pertains to the good things given to us for building up the Kingdom is good and holy while loving life as it pertains to the riches of this world will result in great loss. Jesus explains in the Gospel of John:

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. (John 12:24-26)

Let us pray for the humility to ask God’s forgiveness, and the grace to extend that forgiveness to others within the continuum of divine love and mercy.