Forgiving 2

I do not think that the most important thing to keep in mind when talking about God (and prayer) is that we are sinners. It is true that we are sinners, but sin is not the starting place. The starting place is we are creatures. We are shaped and formed by God's hands. Our existence is derived, dependent, a gift, the work of Another, and a blessing. Understanding one's self as a creature means that one is able to have a correctly ordered understanding of things. Someone else is in charge. Someone else is Lord and Creator. Someone else, someone besides me, is God.

Western individualism has provided us with many blessings. There is much to be said for it. However, while it is the solution for some problems it is also the source of others. Individualism makes us think too much of ourselves. We measure all things, consciously or not, by our desires. The debt we owe God is well expressed in our eucharist. "All things come of Thee, O Lord, and of Thine own have we given Thee." That is perfect. Anything we give to God is, in fact, His already.

The mercy of God is an added blessing on top of all the debt of creation. Because of our sins we add to our debt exponentially. Jesus' remedy is multi-layered, including His incarnation, His life and ministry, His death and resurrection; He also tells us to repent (and believe) and to forgive.

In reality, forgiving is the only thing we have power over. If someone harms us in some way forgiving them is an option. If someone is in debt to us and cannot repay the debt, forgiveness is an option. Forgiveness is, based on the Bible, one of the best ways to imitate God. Forgiveness is always grace, it can never be earned. Forgiveness is always a gift given away to one in debt. Having experienced such grace in Christ, we are sent forth to be grace-dealers, disciples sent forth to proclaim mercy in a new and different type of Kingdom. As Jesus forgives us we are also empowered to forgive others. He says that we (church) have the power to bind and loose, to forgive others their sins and set them free. There is great power in our hands. The power to forgive is a most godly attribute.

Forgiveness is all we have at our disposal. The other person has to repent, to confess, to do the hard work of making ammends. Forgiveness is NOT reconciliation. That is the work of both sides. Forgiveness is opening the door to make reconciliation possible. Jesus also says that forgiveness is opening the door to receive the mercy and forgiveness for which we hunger from God. So it has two effects. It provides the possibility of salvation to the other and to us.

To pray blessings on one who has harmed us is not easy. However, it is not easy, in part, because we ignore our own need for mercy and our own indebtedness to God. We strut around like a banty rooster, crowing about the injustices we  have suffered, all the time blind to the wounds we have delivered in a myriad of way. All the time, blind to the fact that all things come from God and all we have is from Him. All we have is debt; huge, unpayable debt.

By forgiving someone who is not sorry or who refuses to repay us, we are taking on the role of God's emissary in the world. We are taking on a chance to experience the world as God knows it, a world full of people who are not greatful enough, sorry enough, or aware enough. In dying to our rights (for retribution) and suffering the loss (without repayment) we create in our hearts and souls a sacred place, a place where God can be experienced and known. You and I, today, can begin that process of deeper prayer. Forgiving others, especially others least deserving of our mercy, is an excellent way to enter deeper prayer. It is also the work of prayer to make us ready and willing to forgive.