Forgiveness
Through forgiveness comes healing. I found myself repeating that to my mom this weekend as we continued our adventure from Lancaster, PA to Washington D.C. and Virginia. The “why” could possibly be material for a later post.
My first “introduction” to this concept was during a homily given by one of our deacons. In the homily the deacon pointed out that before performing any healings, Jesus would forgive the sins of the people He healed. The deacon made very clear in his homily that Jesus’ message throughout Scripture is: there can be no healing without forgiveness. POWERFUL concept when applied to one’s personal life!
Sacred Story
Fast forward a year or so to my current reading material and it all comes together for me. Forty Weeks – An Ignatian Path to Christ with Sacred Story Prayer is the book I’m reading. It is written by Jesuit priest William Watson. I recommend this book to ALL Christians, not just Catholic Christians. In this book Fr. Watson first encourages the reader to delve deeply into their past. In the second part of the book he encourages the reader to continue on into the future focused on developing and maintaining a closer relationship with the Almighty.
I won’t say the “archaeological dig” is easy or that it won’t be painful. What I will say is that it is interesting to review life and actually notice what makes us tick. This book helps the reader develop an awareness of themselves and their reactions. We all have a Sacred Story and this book helps us uncover it.
As you can tell from my writings, I am a firm believer in the power of meditation and contemplation. It’s what I believe has helped me develop a deeper connection to God and all of His creation. Forty Weeks helps develop a discipline of meditation which is a bit different from what I am accustomed to. That’s not to say that one way is right and the other is wrong. It’s just different. As the title suggests, it follows the format of St. Ignatius’ spiritual exercises. In the Ignatian prayer form we are told to take 15 minutes twice a day to meditate on Creation, Presence, Memory, Mercy and Eternity. We are given short paragraphs to focus on for each. Here’s where the deacon’s homily connects to my current reading.
Mercy
For “Mercy” our attention is focused on this truth: I believe that forgiveness is the only path to healing and illumination. I beg for the grace of forgiveness and the grace to forgive, especially for the general and particular failures of this day, and from my past! Think about that for a moment. Healing cannot come without forgiveness. The truth of the matter is forgiveness is a two-way street. We all need forgiveness for something AND we all need to forgive others for acts committed against us. Yes, it is important for us to open our hearts to forgive. It is also important for us to look in the mirror in a spirit of conviction. As hard as it is to admit, we are all IMPERFECT. But even with all our imperfections, we are God’s beloved.
The message here is the sooner we recognize and admit our imperfection and God’s love for us despite it, the sooner we can learn to be open to forgiveness. Forgiveness of ourselves (because we’re not perfect) and forgiveness of others. It is through our open hearts and repentant souls that we receive the grace to be completely healed. Healed in mind AND spirit, which carries the healing forward to our relationships and families.
One last thought about this. Forgiveness brings healing and healing brings peace. Isn’t PEACE all we really want out of this life and the next? Through forgiveness and healing we get to experience heaven here on Earth. What more can we ask for? God bless you!
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