A Lenten Word - Forgive

Homily for Tuesday of the First Week in Lent

“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” (Matthew 6:12).

There is probably no more powerful word in our Catholic lexicon than the word “forgive.” When Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray, he adds this devastating line right after we ask God to give us what we need to sustain our lives on a daily basis. While we ask God to give us our daily bread, perhaps we should be asking God to give us the strength to forgive those who hurt us. That would be a most powerful gift.

Have you ever asked yourself why it is so hard to forgive? I don’t remember the book I was reading, but the author made the point that when we cannot forgive, it is probably because we had put that person on a pedestal and expected more of them. When they hurt us, they not only fall off that pedestal, but we tend to be powerless in restoring them to the right place in our relationship. No one should be put on a pedestal. No one should be thought of as greater than… We are all sinners, and we all need to be forgiven. If we kept this in mind when someone hurts us, it would indeed be easier to forgive. Then we would realize that they are as flawed as we are.

Pope Francis keeps making the point that God is always ready to forgive. For giving us our sins is part of God’s perfection. We, however, are far from perfect and find it most difficult to be forgive others.