There are times in each of our lives, I believe, when God confirms in a very real way that He is in charge. These are the moments when, without our planning, everything falls into place and a great blessing is bestowed or a great lesson is learned. In these moments we experience wonder and awe in the presence of God who is the Lord of all History, to Whom all time belongs.
Ten years ago, our country was attacked in a horrible way. Innocent civilians lost their lives because of terrorists who chose hatred and death. In those moments, it was very easy to wonder where God was. As a senior in high school, and likely for many of you, for me it was a time of real fear at the evil that was unleashed by sinful men.
And yet, here we are today, with readings that were chosen in the 1970s for the twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, chosen by men, guided by the Hand of God, about forgiveness. There was no way that those men could have known what was going to happen on September 11, 2001. There was no way for them to know that ten years after that event, September 11 would fall on a Sunday, the twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. And yet, here we are, with God confirming in a very real way in our midst the lesson of forgiveness that He wants us to embrace on the anniversary of a day that we as a country were sinned against. We should have wonder and awe in the presence of God that all of these variables lined up just so. As Pope Bl. John Paul II said, in Divine Providence, there are no such things as coincidence.
Our lesson on forgiveness from the Divine Teacher begins with the first reading: “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD? Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins?” The words from the Book of Sirach are very challenging, but they are truth. As the Letter to the Hebrews says, “The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword…able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” Where are we in forgiving those who attacked us ten years ago? Where are we in forgiving those who have hurt us since then, not only terrorists, but also neighbors, family, friends, co-workers? “But Father, you don’t understand what they did! I just cannot forgive them! The pain they caused is too great!!” Forgiveness is certainly difficult, especially when the offense comes from someone who is close to us. And yet, we hear God in His inspired word saying that if we are holding on to wrath and anger, than we can count ourselves among the sinful. If we do not forgive others, we will not be forgiven by God. As Jesus says, “the measure which we measure out to others will in turned be measured out to us.” The level at which we forgive is the level at which we can hope to be forgiven. If we cannot forgive, then neither can we hope to be forgiven.
Now, to be clear, forgiveness does not mean being a doormat. Forgiveness does not mean ignoring past actions. It does not mean that we do not guard our nation carefully. It does not mean that we forgo screenings at airports. It does not mean that we blithely trust someone who has betrayed our trust, especially in a major way. But it does mean that we pray that God will extend His mercy towards them, and heal them of the evil that has grown in their heart, and that they will convert and be blessed by God with His love.
It is easy to hold on to hatred. It is easy to carry a grudge. It takes almost no effort at all. The hatred and the wrath seem to bubble up naturally. It takes real power, though, to forgive. It takes real strength to be the bigger man, the bigger woman, to not hold on to past offenses. When we see a person who has been wronged hating another, it almost seems commonplace. When we see a person who has been wronged forgiving another, we are moved by that person’s soul. Think of a mother who has lost her child to murder. It is not newsworthy when she spews out more hatred toward the murderer. It is newsworthy when that mother, in the midst of her real pain and sorrow, has the strength of soul to say to that murderer, “I forgive you.” Does the murderer still go to jail? Certainly. But the mother is no longer imprisoned by her hatred, but has been set free by forgiveness.
How many times do we forgive terrorists? How many times do we forgive a spouse who has betrayed the spousal trust? How many times do we forgive a friend who hurt us? How many times do we forgive the stranger who changed the lives of so many by acts of violence and hatred? Jesus tells us that we forgive them always, so that when we need forgiveness, maybe in small ways, maybe in big ways, our hearts are prepared to receive the forgiveness of God. If we do not forgive, then our hearts are not open to receive the forgiveness that God wants to bestow upon us.
“But what about justice, Father? What about paying the price for your crimes?” If you insist on justice, then let me lead you to the cross. Let me lead you to Calvary, because that is where justice leads. That is where justice led Jesus, who suffered for us, innocent as He was, so that we could have eternal life. That is where He who shared our human nature died, fulfilling the justice that original sin required, so that we who share that human nature with Jesus could also rise with Him to glory. We should be careful about insisting on justice, or asking that the “fires of [God’s] justice burn,” because we might just receive that justice, and the wages of sin is death, as St. Paul says. Justice for sins brings death. Forgiveness and love bring life.
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| Fr. Mychal Judge being carried out by NY Emergency Personnel after the South Tower collapsed |
We mourn those who lost their lives that fateful day. We protect ourselves now from future attacks. In the midst of it all, we pray for forgiveness. “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Amen.