The Power of Forgiveness

On Saturday, the priest celebrating mass was a young man I had never seen before, newly assigned to this parish.  The mass opening prayers reflected that this was the First Saturday of the month, a day dedicated to Mary the mother of Jesus, and that the date that day was the feast day of St. Maria Goretti.  During his sermon, the priest told how Maria Goretti, as a young girl, had preserved her virginity, resisting a rapist, and as he then killed her, she told him that she forgave him.  I knew of that story.  But then the priest noted further, that on the day Maria Goretti was later declared a saint by the church, that same man, her killer, entered the Catholic faith.

This is the power of forgiveness, that it opens a soul to God’s grace.  It doesn’t force anything on the forgiven one, but it is like a seed that God then works on. 

Then the priest told how from the cross Jesus also forgave His killers.  It was us He forgave, us who killed Him by our sins.  By His death He opened the doors of heaven for us again, and then He gave us His mother to be as our mother.

The power of HIS forgiveness is that it also opens our souls to God’s grace, and to eternal life, if we will accept the forgiveness He gave us.

The words of the rest of the mass after that took on a new depth.  And then we said the Our Father prayer, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others.”  Considering our feelings about the world, our country, and perhaps even some members of our family …. Can we also will to forgive, to allow the power of God’s grace to work there?

It had been a cloudy morning, but then the sun began brightly shining in the church.  At communion time, I noticed that I would be receiving Jesus’ Body in the form of the consecrated host from that young priest.  But THEN I noticed that those going up to him in front of me received Communion on the tongue, with only a few receiving in the hand.  That was a radical reversal from what usually happened.  And then I noticed that a friend was holding the cup of Jesus’ blood; I had never seen her before in this role. These things spoke to me.  And so I went up and received Jesus reverently on my tongue, and drank of His blood.  And we spoke sincerely to each other.  This was not an ordinary mass.

This is the power of forgiveness.  Forgiveness may be a thing hard to do, but it is like love, we will to do it, not necessarily feel it.  Forgiveness we give is not for our benefit, but the one who needs forgiveness, so they can begin to change.  It’s what Jesus commanded us to do, “love as I have loved.”  I know we think some people don’t deserve forgiveness, but who are we to judge?  Remember the story of Lot, and how he didn’t feel Ninevah should be warned of its doom; it deserved it.  But, God forced him to warn them, and they then begged for forgiveness.  And their world changed.  That is the power of forgiveness.

Today was a day of spiritual growth for me, and of joy.

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Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood , Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

                                                                        --- from The Divine Mercy Chaplet

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One more thing I want to remember here.  Today, Sunday, in the chapel I opened a book I was slowly reading there.  It is titled:  The Holy Bread of Eternal Life.  And on the page I opened to, it spoke of the lessening of respect for Holy Communion in the past 50 years.  And I read: “The first major step was the allowance of Communion in the hand.”

So many things happening.  So many things to pray about.  But in all these things I find a great joy.  Yes, God is with us.