How Often Can We Forgive?

Image borrowed from Young Women of Virtue.

Homily remembering September 11th,

It has been exactly 10 years now since the events of September 11^th 2001, came to pass. I am certain that each one of us can remember exactly where we were and what we were doing that day. When we saw the images of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the Airliner that crashed in Pennsylvania, when we saw these something changed inside us. Perhaps it was a deep fear, perhaps a shocking look from the bottom, perhaps a sinking realization of just how vulnerable we could be, even here in the United States of America. After these 10 years, with so much war, violence, and acts of counter terrorism as well as moments of dialogue, visits for peace, and new relationships that span across nation, culture, and religion. I am wondering...

Can we choose a life of Forgiveness because we follow the Prince of Peace?

In today's gospel Peter asks, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus, answers, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.”

As many as seventy-seven times we are invited to forgive...!

Of course what happened on September 11^th was terrible. The destruction was beyond words, and so many people lost their lives to these acts of terrorism. So many people suffered in New York, Washington, and across the United States! Perhaps on that day you knew someone who was near the destruction. And you wondered painfully were they going to be OK? After such terrible destruction of the World Trade Center, the attack on the Pentagon, and the hijacking of four jet liners all in the U.S. We should be upset! We should feel angry, frustrated, depressed, pained, and perhaps eventually some resolve for action. So many of the psalms in our Old Testament show a real lament to God over the suffering of Israel. Oh God why have our enemies conquered us!? Where have you been oh God?! Yet after expressing such deep and painful grief the psalmist always returns to remember God's persistent faithfulness. Always God has been faithful to us. Eventually we could come back around to trust. So Yes, let us grieve and lament all the terrible that has happened after 9-11. But let us consider our response more critically.

“how often must I forgive?” And Jesus responds...77 times.

Of course nations have the right to defend themselves. Actions of self-defense and security within the nation make sense. Yet it seems to me this nation reacted quickly and with more than a little self-righteous anger. An attack on the organization that caused the events of 9-11 made some sense when seeking Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. But the unilateral strike on Iraq justified by the possibility of weapons of mass destruction, this was War for the sake of striking at an elusive enemy. I just have trouble understanding how a nation such as the U.S. that claims to be so influenced by Christian values can act so contrary to Christ, the Prince of Peace!!

In today's gospel Jesus uses a parable to teach how we should be merciful servants because the master is merciful. The master forgives the loan because of his servant's petition. Yet the same servant does not offer the same mercy to his debtors who beg him for forgiveness. Don't be the unforgiving servant!!

More than this, the whole life of Jesus taught us a life of Peace. Although he spoke deep truths, Jesus refused to enter violently over disagreement. Early on Jesus chose to disappear when the crowds showed up with angry violence to him. Eventually, the truth and power through which Jesus taught, and the call God invited for his life, brought him to such conflict with the powers of the nations that Jesus would be condemned. Yet, he did not strike out against his attackers. He prayed that God might forgive them in their ignorance. For me Jesus Christ's ultimate act was to have the courage to trust that God's love was enough to absorb all this abuse he experienced, even to death on the cross. Jesus believed and loved God and all of us enough to be truly faithful to the end. Jesus responded each time by having faith in the way of life, the way of love, the way of peace.

So how do we respond after terrible acts of violence? I believe there is room for outrage, for anger, for feeling all manner of painful emotions. Yet a healthy response can't come precisely from the place of pain. Fr. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest says, “If we don't transform our pain, we transmit it.” Without learning how to befriend and learn the way of healing we will simply perpetuate the cycles of violence and continue spreading suffering. Nearly 3000 people died in the 9-11 attacks. Since then in the Iraq war, justified largely by 9-11, over 4000 U.S. Soldiers have died. And in this same Iraq war well over 1,000,000 (million) Iraqi people have been killed. It sure seems to me, as a nation, we have a lot of healing to do!

So how might we learn to forgive seventy-seven times? Do you remember the Amish community in Pennsylvania who were grieving the slayings of five children in their school? Then they chose to reach out to the family of the killer who committed suicide. The Amish people practiced forgiveness even when they were hurting from the murder of their children. To me this is what it means to be a Christian, this is what it means to truly forgive, this is what it means to follow the Prince of Peace. Even through the midst of grief and suffering we can learn to seek forgiveness and healing so we may live the way of true love.