Posted on 11/13/2014 8:54:57 PM PST by CharlesOConnell
Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, Sacramento CA
Podcast
kofc15693.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ChaplainsReport11-11-2014.mp3
A relatively brief thought: For some reason, this has been coming up quite a in the last couple of months, on forgiveness.
A priest friend in Slovakia shared a story with my brother-in-law, Father Farrell, that he had given a homily on the need to forgive. A lady come up to him after Mass and said, "Father, based on what you said, I realized that there is something I've never let go of.
"Twenty-five years ago, a man broke into my home and raped me. I've never been able to forgive him. I'm finally able to do that." The priest then heard her confession.
Three weeks later, the same priest was in his rectory when he heard a knock at the door. He said to a man at the door, "May I help you". The man replied, "Father, I was passing through the town, I saw the Catholic Church. There's been something for the last three weeks that's just been eating away at me.
He said, "Twenty-five years ago, I broke into a woman's house, and I took advantage of her."
The priest replied, "You realize that Our Lord said to St. Peter that you have authority over the entire Church to bind and loose. That's for teaching. He said to all the apostles that in the Sacrament of Confession, they have the power to bind and loose. But He said to all the faithful, to the disciples on one occasion, that we're all called upon to share in this ministry of binding and loosing."
When we hold someone's sin against them, they are bound by that. They cannot be free until we offer them mercy. That doesn't necessarily have to be in person, but at least in our hearts, "I forgive" the person.
A man one time came to Padre Pio, accusing him of being a phoney, doubting all the spiritual gifts he had. The man said to Padre Pio, "I'll believe that you have an authentic charism, that you're who you say you are, if you can tell me the sin that I committed years ago that I've never been able to forgive myself for." Padre Pio said, "Come back tomorrow and I will tell you."
Anybody who knew Padre Pio, who would have been aware of that, would know, "How could he not know that"? I met an Italian woman just after Mass last weekend. I mentioned Padre Pio in my homily. She told me, "My aunt is Italian. She used to go to confession with Padre Pio. He would do her confessions for her."
When the man said, "if you can tell me my sin", Padre Pio said, "You can come back tomorrow". The man came back and said, "Father, can you tell me?" Padre Pio said, "I cannot".
The man scoffed and said, "I knew you were a fraud". Padre Pio said, "I can't tell you because you went to confession for it. Our Lord revealed that to me. So He no longer remembers your sin. God has forgotten it. My brother, it is okay now for you to do the same."
If we're to forgive as God forgives, that means, always, everywhere and as soon as possible, not just others, but also ourselves.
For I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sins no more. Hebrews 8:12
I have too many sins beyond redemption.
I may make a uneasy peace but someday God and I will have to talk through them.
He said 7 Last Words on Calvary. One of them was, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do”.
we can forgive ourselves all day long, I bet all the worst people do, but without repentance and an appeal to HIM, it is pointless.
Forgiveness is part of repentence.
If we know and accept God forgiveness why even consider such a thing as forgiving yourself. It’s to Him we go and remain in Him that gives us His peace.
I don’t even understand what forgiving yourself is all about! As said...why bother.
That is a good question, some people can forgive themselves easy enough but it is usually those who have not done much or at least think they have done nothing wrong which is a different story.
God tells us that we must forgive others their sins against us in order for our sins to be forgiven.
The scripture tells us that if we have broken one law we have broken them all which leads us to convince ourselves that one sin is as bad as another.
As far as god is concerned that is probably true and when we are forgiven by God we are in the same place in eternity as if we had not sinned, just as the ones with lesser sins.
The problem is that we still have to finish out our life here on earth, we still have to live with our selves,
so what we have done may be erased from Gods book but it can not be erased from our hearts and minds.
I find it easy to forgive those who have done me wrong, but forgiving myself is a different story, i can not do that.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.