Forgiveness

Two or three weeks and we’re at Easter. Because I’ve got two feet, one in the church world, the other in the secular world, I get a double go at Easter.

John Safran had on his Triple J programme, a couple of months ago, a singer of ballads who performed one about “When Jesus died, he came back as chocolate eggs”.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In church, say on Easter Sunday, it would be risky. Any day in secular society, it would be a chance to put Jesus into daily life. Risky again, but for a different reason.

The death and resurrection theme I’ll leave, if you don’t mind, for later.

Sin and forgiveness is closer to my mind because I’ve been stunned by a couple of examples of both, gleaned, not from church, but from the secular press.

One was a woman from Rwanda where millions were killed a few years ago. She was from tribe A, Tutsi, massacred by tribe B, Hutu. She’d lost husband and children. She was at a “truth and reconciliation” session arranged by South African Bishop Tutu, (Church and State have a different relationship depending on where you are in the world).

She identified her family’s executioners in “court” that day. Then she asked to be lead across the room to the man. I forgive him, she said, and want to take him home to be my son.

Too much, isn’t it! You or I couldn’t do that. We’d want revenge (we call it justice) because we’ve been brought up on retributive justice. We’ve rarely heard of “restorative justice” where all aggrieved parties and the offender(s) are in the same room together to seek truth and reconciliation

The only point I want to make here is that it seems possible to forgive, even if not forget.

I’d just got over reading that shocking example of human heroism when I’m, confronted with Gusmao and Ramos Horta, leaders of East Timor, both set upon recently by armed men. Gusmao escaped injury, Ramos Horta almost died.

Both men expressed forgiveness, without forgetfulness, and care and concern for the family of the man who, allegedly, led the attack, and was shot dead at the scene.

It’s alright for me to ‘preach’ this heady stuff on Good Friday in church at 3pm.

That’s when, annually, Catholics (and others) gather to hear the sacred story which goes like this: Part of God becomes human. Other humans kill this part of God. God forgives humans. Humans become part of God!

Great story (known in the trade as “myth”). Great ending. Sorry – never-ending.

South Melbourne Catholics will have a truth and reconciliation session in the week of Good Friday we call Holy Week. Check our website. All welcome. Bring your sins, not other people’s. Be forgiven, but only if you forgive others.

Our school kids (Galilee) will be present to learn from us adults at least the good intention of forgiveness without forgetfulness. Thank Gusmao and Ramos Horta for a practical demonstration.

Comments

[Deb Smith]

Father McGuire,

I got tricked into following links to your blog, whilst looking for the ABC radio feedback place. Firstly, let me say how much I enjoyed your Sunday Triple J radio program with John Safran tonight - the first time I've heard it, because I accidentally tuned in to the wrong station. You two jokers have the edge on making non-judgmental religious comment on various world religions. The middle eastern music you played at the end was beautiful. All of your banter promotes understanding and acceptance of other cultures in a delicious light way - thank you.

Now for a comment on your Easter Blog here. You have hit the nail on the head. Forgiveness when it seems impossible is actually happening and you give examples. And the whole power of Easter is that "in dying we are born to eternal life". Yes, it sounds wanky at a funeral, but the point is that Easter is about letting go of the crapp of the past (dying to it) and feeling, really feeling the explosion of the newness of life. Hay, I'm willing to be resurrected. Thanks for the thoughts Father Bob. I'm going to re-read them right now. God's blessed ya.

[GB_Cobber]

I think forgiveness comes naturally as our focus turns inwardly from our outwardly focused defensive structures to our creative wisdom and ultimately its connection to others and source wisdom.

It becomes self evident that forgiveness is for the forgiver as much as for the forgiven, that it is in alignment with the reality of wholeness and serves the purpose of integration into that wholeness, which the person envisions.
It comes from an awareness of unity, from a point of view that we are all one.

The quicker we can all awaken to our greater awareness the quicker I can have my paradise on earth, so I forgive. Its only logical. We only learn by example so it follows we can only teach by example.

There are many good reasons to forgive as there are good reasons for honesty. Forgiveness is honesty with self as well as with the forgiven. Honesty helps us align our expression of the “wholey” spirit more accurately, with fewer distortions, as it passes through our filters into manifestation in our physical world.

What prompted me to come to your site was a something I recently wrote which I thought might qualify for the church sign.

Strangely coincidentally, though I’m far from believing randomly, it seems fitting in our current context.

"Where we’re going is not about protection but projection"

God blesses all always.
Cobber