Jesus asks us to forgive and forget!
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

The presence of Jesus to all those who seek Him, is not felt or recognized by people who are at odds with a friend, spouse, sibling, parent or neighbor. There are a great many people in this world who carry a grudge, even a religious grudge. They zero in on one sin, one happening in their life that has so vexed them, that they are unable to forgive and forget. Many times, you hear the now familiar  story of a man or woman who claims to have been 'yelled at' in the Confessional. Usually, these recollections, though unforgiven, relate to a person's younger years, and one wonders immediately if the unforgiven fault would have been less serious had the person who felt offended, been more mature at the time. But it is not always that easy.

Arguments that have been lost, and often not forgiven, cry out to the world: "I am hurt, and nobody  cares!" And, "he was supposed to be a holy priest." All priests are human, as are the rest of us. We are all sinners. And, I've also met priests who seemed devoted and mature, who were grouches. When I have to listen to people who feel offended, I am sorry for the priest who had to listen to the accuser, barking away at what was often an insignificant matter, and then holding a life-time grudge.

The other day, I was talking to a non-Catholic friend. He said he couldn’t go to his church because people there were hypocrites. I asked for details and he said there were people who had ongoing feuds going between them and weren’t able to forgive one another but they went to church and acted holy as if there was nothing wrong. It is unfortunate that these two people could not reconcile their differences. It is awful that this kept my friend away from church. No matter what I said (I must admit I did not try very hard), going to church was out of the question. If he were Catholic, I could have provided a more convincing argument for church attendance: the Blessed Sacrament.

 What does Jesus say about all that?  Well, if Our Lord can forgive us our sins, by offering Himself up on the Cross for our errors, then certainly, shouldn't we be of same disposition to those who hurt us? In [Mat. 18:33], “Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?”  Jesus said: [Mat 18:34-35] 'Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”

Jesus makes it very clear here that He has forgiven us from His heart, and that we have been forgiven. May this serve as an example that we should also repent, and in humility, ask God for forgiveness. Then he will forgive us, and he will then forget the problem entirely, and so should we! Gone is our agony, our un-forgiveness, and the pain that goes with it. If we have un-forgiveness in our heart, go to the person who has angered you and ask him to forgive you. Your mood will change for the better, and life continues peacefully and purposefully. Your house is in order once again, and you'll recognize God's Presence. The pain that festered is out of the way, and we can once again love and honor Jesus, and all those whom we deal with every day. Joy has returned! 

And, by the way, "Joy" is a gift of God!

Fred Schaeffer, OFS

2007, rev. 8/26/2023