Forgiveness and Freedom

            Forgiveness is a Christian hallmark.  It is not very well understood, even by those who express their faith very openly.  Sometimes, it seems to me, that those who need the most to be forgiven are the ones who most loudly claim that their faith lies at the heart of their lives.  I think of people who want us to believe that the reason for all of the turmoil in our country, storms, people with guns creating havoc, and the devastation of poverty and distress is because God is mad at us because of our lifestyles.  These pious people point out that the acceptance of people with different sexual preferences is defiantly contrary to God’s word, and they will cite various passages in Leviticus or in Pauline letters to substantiate these claims.  Sometimes, they will also point out other things that are done by people in this country that they also believe are contrary to what they read in scripture. These are things such as care for the poor with food stamps, or other means to subsidize what they believe is laziness on the part of the poor. These statements are always made in a judgmental manner that casts blame far and wide.  They always seem to get acceptance from their own followers and their beliefs are fortified by the community that they are able to establish.

            I believe that forgiveness is a difficult category for all of us.  When we are hurt by others, we remember our injuries and we blame those who have inflicted them on us.  It is a very difficult thing to forgive those who have hurt us, but I know that forgiveness lies at the heart of what Jesus meant when he talked about the Peace of God.  One of the most astounding things in the life of our Lord is his forgiveness of those who crucified him that came during his presence on the cross itself.  Forgive them Father, he said, for they know not what they do. This came from a heart devastated by pain and grief and burdened by the knowledge that his faithful ministry on this earth was coming to an end.  I don’t believe at that particular moment that Jesus knew anything at all about Resurrection.  That was God’s doing and it came as a result of the crucifixion.  It is through the glorious resurrection of Jesus that the continuing work in the world by the devastated apostles gains its strength and meaning. 

            On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God descended on those apostles and they spoke to all of those who came to see them in their own languages.  People of many tongues were standing around and heard the Word of God proclaimed in words that they easily understood.  That has been the mission of the church from that day to this.  That is another reason that it is difficult for me to understand why judgement has become so much a part of the Christian tradition. 

            When I have counseled people who are in enormous pain, the problem frequently comes from the fact that they have done something that has terribly distressed them, or something has been done to them by someone else.  What they need at this moment is to understand forgiveness above all things, for themselves, or for others.  Forgiveness doesn’t mean that the consequences go away, but it does imply an understanding and a comprehension of the feelings that are so much a part of the problem that they are experiencing.

            Sometimes, forgiveness seems out of the realm of possibility.  When those whom I visited in prison listened to me talk about forgiveness, they would often get a vacant expression on their faces and say things that told me that they believed that forgiveness was not anything that could ever come their way.  It isn’t surprising that they felt this way; the whole correction system is based on fault and punishment.  Those who are incarcerated are encouraged to believe that forgiveness is nothing that they can ever expect. Those who guard them often believe that they are a part of the punishment which is richly deserved.

            When I have seen forgiveness happen in the lives of prisoners, it is a blessing that I can hardly imagine.  The difference that it has made in the lives of these people is incredible.  What it has done is to free everyone from the prison of blame.  It certainly isn’t easy.  Genuine forgiveness involves letting go of the hurt and the blame and relying on God to give us new life that transcends what has happened in the past.  This can result in new life that is beyond our capacity to comprehend.  It is the gift that only the Holy Spirit can bestow, and it is fervently to be wished by all of us.