Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
This past Friday, I began an eight-week series on John of the Cross, and I want to begin my homily with a story from his life. In mid 16th Century, John, along with Teresa of Avila had undertaken a reform of monastic life. This led to no little discontent among the calced Carmelites. John became a victim of the malice of some of his brothers. One cold December night in 1577, a group of armed calced Carmelites came to his monastery, kidnapped him and put him in their monastery prison. He was accused of rebellion. As if that was not enough, after two months of imprisonment, afraid that he would escape, was moved to a mere 6x10 prison cell with no ventilation, and only a little crack near the ceiling to let in minimal light. He suffered intensely with lack of food, bathing, and fresh clothes. Lice, near starvation, near fatigue, and physical and mental abuse almost killed him. After nine months of abject misery, he managed to get out of imprisonment in a daredevil and almost miraculous escape. It took months for him to recuperate. After he recovered from his effects of his dreadful imprisonment, one barely hears John of the Cross talk about this event. Instead, as he would put it, he saw the hand of God in the experience and urged others not to speak uncharitably about his persecutors. Once when one of his companions reminded him of his suffering, John said, “Padre, this is not the time to be thinking of that; it is by the merits of the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ that I hope to be saved.” As the book of Sirach says in today’s first reading, “Anger and wrath are hateful things!” (Sir 27:30).
Today we are confronted with one of the most demanding teachings of Jesus – the absolute necessity of forgiveness. Not only did Jesus teach forgiveness, but he lived it radically in his own life. Sometimes easy, sometimes hard, at one time or another I am sure we have all been confronted with situations when our capacity for forgiveness gets tested. In my three points today, let me share my reflection on Peter’s question: “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive?” (Mt 18:21).
- The Absolute Necessity of Forgiveness. In responding to Peter’s question about how often to forgive, Jesus takes his teaching to a whole new level. Beyond numbers, Jesus teaches his disciples about the absolute necessity to forgive. The parable of the unforgiving servant ends with this statement from Jesus: “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart” (Mt 18:35). Jesus was not the first person to demand and necessity of forgiveness. Sirach 28:2-3 says, “Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD?” Those us of who have lived through the trauma of hate, abuse, or betrayal, we know that often forgiveness can be difficult and a complex process. As rough as forgiveness can be, Jesus places an expectation before us that is absolute – that we do not stand before God with an unforgiving heart.
- Forgiveness Sets Us Free. Why does scripture, and particularly Jesus, insist on the necessity of forgiveness? Perhaps the real-life story of Archie William will help. Archie Williams is a contestant on America’s Got Talent 2020. In 1982, a white woman was raped and stabbed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She repeatedly identified Archie Williams as her rapist. Williams was 22 at that time. He testified that he was home asleep at the time of the assault. His fingerprints weren't found at the scene, but as a poor black kid, he didn't have the economic ability to fight the state of Louisiana. Ultimately, he was convicted for attempted murder, aggravated rape and aggravated burglary and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Williams always claimed his innocent. Ten years later, the Innocence Project took up his case. In March 2019, Williams' fingerprints were submitted to a powerful fingerprint ID system. And finally, it was proven that another man was guilty for the crime for which Williams was convicted. Williams' charges were dismissed and, 36 years later, at the age of 58, he was freed. When he appeared to audition on AGT, not once did express anger against the accuser, hate for the authorities, or even regret for the injustice. He said that he had left the past behind and only wanted to move forward. Since that first audition, last Friday, Archie Williams made it to the AGT finals. Now just imagine, if William’s goal in life when he came out of prison, was to go after the ones that incarcerated him. As a free person, William could have become the prisoner of his own hate and desire for revenge. Today, Williams is not just free from prison; he is free within! Jesus insistence for forgiveness, on the one hand, is because, first, forgiveness is a virtue of the righteous person; it is the mark of godliness. However, the greatest beneficiary of forgiveness is the person who forgives! Forgiveness sets us free – from hate, from spending our energy on plotting revenge, from constant and oppressive negativity, and ultimately from mental and physical illnesses. Forgiveness is an act of love towards our own selves. Most of all, forgiveness prepares us to stand before God and receive God’s forgiveness ourselves. Forgiveness prepares us for heaven and eternal life. Today, I place John of the Cross and Archie Williams as models for us.
- Forgiveness: Victimization of the Victim? Having stressed the demand and the necessity of forgiveness, we must recognize that often forgiveness is a process. Especially when the wrong that has been done has been systemic, brutal, and unrepented, forgiveness may require more than just personal virtue and holiness. For example, victims of child sexual abuse either in the church or at home at the hands of a relative, victims of human trafficking, victims of rape, victims of war crimes, immigrant children separated from their families, victims of racial injustices, victims of prolonged domestic abuse, can all face indescribable mental, physical, and psychological trauma. While the Christian demand for forgiveness is absolute, we must be equally sensitive that the demand for forgiveness does not cause even further victimization of the victims. In such situations, it is important that we provide the victims all the time, the help, the support, and the tools they need for healing. Only one’s own healing can prepare one to be in a position to forgive. In being sensitive to the victims of deep hurts and injustices, we are not compromising the absolute necessity of forgiveness. Rather, we are saying that often forgiveness is a process and that there are times when personal forgiveness is a community effort.
The church has a very significant role in this regard. The church must be a conducive place for the process of forgiveness and a community that offers healing for victims of brutal injustices and hurts. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a grace-filled place where God’s forgiveness can be experienced and the place where victims, injustice, and hate can find solace and peace. This is also the place from where those struggling with forgiveness, empowered by the mercy of God can then show mercy and forgiveness to others.
- Fr. Satish Joseph