{"id":726,"date":"2015-02-18T05:00:49","date_gmt":"2015-02-18T05:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sjcmetheology.wpengine.com\/?p=726"},"modified":"2015-02-18T05:00:49","modified_gmt":"2015-02-18T05:00:49","slug":"enroll-in-the-school-of-forgiveness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/enroll-in-the-school-of-forgiveness\/","title":{"rendered":"Enroll in the School of Forgiveness"},"content":{"rendered":"

To err is human; to forgive, Divine. <\/em>The old adage about God\u2019s mercy and our frailty provides a tempting means of letting ourselves off the hook when it comes to forgiving others. After all, as \u201cmere humans,\u201d we\u2019re weak, fragile and subject to every whim, distraction and opportunity for self-indulgence with which we\u2019re presented. According to this line of thought, \u201cI\u2019m only<\/em> human,\u201d becomes a defense for wrongdoing that (if we\u2019re honest) each of us has employed at one time or another. Doing what is right and just at all times is impossible for us, so we might as well not worry about striving too<\/em> hard to hit the mark. As for forgiveness: it\u2019s a goal<\/em>, but not one we\u2019re expected to consistently attain because some things are just too awful to forgive (human weakness, after all). All of the \u201ctough stuff,\u201d the hard things in life, and those that require a lot of extra effort \u2013 those are things God<\/em> can do, but not us \u201cpuny humans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today is Ash Wednesday, the gift the Church gives us as a call to self-reflection and repentance \u2013 and to the realization that we are to strive toward the Divine<\/em>. It is the \"Forgiveness\"<\/a>beginning of the Lenten season, and an opportunity to truly walk with Jesus as He makes His way toward the Cross. For Eastern Catholics<\/a>, this season actually began two days earlier. Monday marked the first day of The Great Fast <\/em>(as it is called in the East), and it begins, in a way, by refuting the adage about forgiveness being strictly God\u2019s province.<\/p>\n

The day before The Fast begins is known as Forgiveness Sunday<\/em>, wherein we remember the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden, and the beginning of the path toward salvation. Vespers are celebrated in the evening, and end with a Service of Mutual Forgiveness<\/em>, in which everyone \u2013 from the priest, to the altar servers, to the people in the pew \u2013 approach each other individually to ask for and receive forgiveness with these words:<\/p>\n

Forgive me, a sinner<\/em>.<\/strong>
\nGod Himself forgives you.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It is often difficult for us to \u201cwork up the courage\u201d to examine our consciences and \u201center the box\u201d to confess our sins. Yet the experience of God\u2019s grace, and the relief of letting go of the dead weight of sin that gets in the way of experiencing true love and peace, calls us back again and again. Entering into the Holy Mystery of Confession is essential for our spiritual (and general) health year round, but it\u2019s especially important at the start of, and throughout, The Fast.<\/p>\n

Just as important is our willingness to let go of our pride and face each other<\/em> in a stance of humility and openness: to ask for forgiveness, and be willing to forgive. Neither is easy. Depending upon the ways we\u2019ve hurt others \u2013 or been hurt by them \u2013 it can feel equally as impossible to ask forgiveness as it is to grant it. This is why the Fast is so important for us, not simply as a spiritual discipline, or the fulfillment of a requirement. Self-denial \u2013 breaking out of the cocoon of self-centeredness \u2013 is the introductory course in the School of Forgiveness<\/em>. It\u2019s a course we all need to repeat again and again, but the Teacher is patient and willing to tutor us in the ways of love and surrender.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo err\u201d is<\/em> human, inasmuch as our inclination toward sin is our inheritance from the fall of our first parents. Yet to forgive<\/em> is human, too. To forgive is to be authentically human; humanity made possible by the Incarnation of the second person of the Trinity. Jesus, Son of God, took flesh and became human<\/em> so that we could become like God<\/em>.<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s been a month \u2013 or it\u2019s been years \u2013 since you \u201cstepped into the box,\u201d stop where you are and examine your conscience. Go to confession at the first opportunity you can. Then examine your conscience again and forgive those who have hurt you. If you can do it in person, go to them in humility and love. If that\u2019s not possible, forgive them in your heart and pray to God for them. Revise the adage and give it new meaning in your life: To err is human; to forgive, authentically<\/strong> human<\/strong> through the grace of the Divine Savior. <\/em><\/p>\n

Forgive\u2026because God Himself forgives you<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Ann Koshute<\/strong> teaches theology for Saint Joseph’s College Online.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To err is human; to forgive, Divine. The old adage about God\u2019s mercy and our frailty provides a tempting means of letting ourselves off the hook when it comes to forgiving others. After all, as \u201cmere humans,\u201d we\u2019re weak, fragile … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,19,23,1],"tags":[34,118,162],"class_list":["post-726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-liturgy","category-sacraments","category-spirituality","category-uncategorized","tag-ash-wednesdy","tag-forgiveness","tag-lent"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=726"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}