The Future of Forgiveness (2019-04-07, Lent-05)

April 7, 2019   [ 05 LENT]   

•  Isaiah 43:16-21 • Psalm 126 • Philippians 3:8-14 • + John 8:1-11 •

Title:    Forgiveness is about the future. Forgiveness means we are going back to the future. 

[_01_]  Recently, as part of my daily routine, I turned on my computer. It is remarkable to me that my computer-laptop seems to be so forgiving, so generous – you might say – in allowing me to keep (retain) thousands and thousands of of email messages.

          I logged in and saw that I had 3,600-plus emails in my inbox. Fortunately, I had read most of them!

          But, I had become lax and somewhat indifferent toward their existence, feeling that they represented an important historical record of my life, that should never be deleted or removed.

          Nevertheless, I started carefully to delete the older messages, to discard and place them in the electronic recycling bin.

          Then, somehow, I deleted inadvertently all the new and recent messages as well.

          So, I was left with no messages.

          Afterwards, I wondered if I should have done that. Should I have really let go all of that history?

          It seems that AOL and Verizon and my H-P laptop were quite content to let me – all along -- keep as many messages as I wanted -- 3,000, 5,000 – or more – email messages.

[_02_]    And, it seems that God as our heavenly father and Lord is going to allow us to hold on to all of our history, even all of our faults and failings and sins for as long as we want to do so.

          What I am suggesting is not a perfect analogy or parallel…but I am suggesting that the sacramental confession of our sins to the priest -- with the related actions of

►CONFESSION – stating what we did wrong.

►CONTRITION – stating that we are sorry for what we did ..

►PENANCE – interior reflection afterwards and some amendment or prayer or generous service

►ABSOLUTION – words of mercy that take away these sins.

          I’m suggesting that this confession –sacramental confession –is similar to starting over with ZERO messages.

         

[_03_]    It does not mean that the messages were never there or that that the sins never happened.

          But that we are striving to let go of our attachment to them.

          It is true that God will let us keep our sins on our hard drives and on our hearts for as long as we wish.

          But, it is freeing and liberating to remove them – to have them taken away as far as the east is from the west (Psalm _) – & to remove our connection to them.

[_04_]        Why should we delete old email messages?

            One healthy reason to delete old emails or clean up our file folders is that – contrary to what the Cloud-storage people will tell you or what we would like to think – all that history and all those messages really do not prepare us to meet the future.

            I may believe that I can search – electronically – for an email from 3 years ago, but that presumes that I know what it is.

            Maybe I should just move on. And, my laptop computer will be more efficient anyway (so will I).

            A healthy reason for us to go to confession is not simply to clean up the past or to get a good spiritual credit score, but rather to recognize that we – like God – are trying to focus on the future, on what’s coming next.

[_05_]    And, we do focus on the future. I think we do it. I think you do it. Because – have you not – have we not – forgiven someone and forgiven someone gladly who said to you – made the following statement after their offense or transgression:

          The statement: “I’ll never let it happen again.”

          Sometimes, a child says this, but grown-up’s say it also. I have said it.

          Even though – when you hear those words, you think, “you know the person might trespass again.”

          But, you (& I) can rejoice in their intention, their hope for the future. You can delete the message.

          You & I can delete the old message of the offense.

[_06_]     Forgiveness is about moving toward the future.

          An attitude of forgiveness …

          Is not an attitude of FORGIVNEESS the sign of a healthy relationship?

          Is not an attitude of FORGIVENESS  a sign that we can talk openly about what is troubling us?

          Is not an attitude of FORGIVENESS one that can help us to combat loneliness, anxiety? That is, by seeking forgiveness or being repentant, I recognize explicitly that I need the love of God and neighbor to survive, that I am not alone.

[_07_]     So, why go to confession.  Or, perhaps– why NOT go to confession?

          I’d like to touch on 1 objection here about going to confession…

          One reason that we do not feel inclined – or not to go to confession - is a feeling of resignation is that we say …”regarding a sin or series of sins, I know that I said it would not happen again, but it may very well happen again.”

          St. John Vianney, patron saint of parish priests, shared this message to those of us – and all of us may feel this way at some point –feel discouraged – or we do not feel encouraged.

We fear going to confession because we fear falling into the same sin …or we fear that confession is not for real because… past performance does not guarantee future results.

          Jesus does not ask for a guarantee – Jesus is making the guarantee of his mercy, that his mercy, that his mercy can change the heart of the woman brought to him in the Gospel and that his mercy can change the hearts of her accusers.  He is willing to die for our sins, to prove that his mercy endures forever.  (life-changing and eternal)

St. John Vianney shared that God loves us so much that he is willing to forget both the past and the future in which we may sin again…
            Confession is not only about what we can remember to do – or we can remember to say - but also what we can forget, what we can delete, and put in God’s hands – to go back to the future, so that we may, by endeavor by effort, to go and sin no more.   [_fin_]