The Forgiveness of Sins
With his eyes clouded with tears and his heart filled with remorse, the young boy approached his mother ready to admit his transgression. He had knowingly disobeyed her instructions and now had to face his mother’s wrath. As he apologized to her, the tears in his eyes rushed down his cheeks. He was truly devastated that he had failed his mother. She gazed at him for a few seconds, witnessing his true remorse, briefly scolding him and then gave him a hug, while reminding him of her love for him. He had been forgiven. Oh yes, there would be some punishment attached to his disobedience, but it would be a light punishment. He was back in his mother’s good graces! The mother’s love for her son and his sincere remorse overcame the offense. He was forgiven…without qualification.
All of us have forgiven and have been forgiven for trespasses. Friends and loved ones frequently hurt each other and are often exceedingly angry with one another. Yet all is forgiven in an instance when sorrow and retribution are forthcoming from the offender. Hugs are exchanged and relations between the friends continue; frequently as if nothing occurred. For most people it is part of our nature “to forgive and forget.”
Most Christian churches, particularly the Catholic Church, emphasize God’s forgiving nature towards humans. All humans sin and need forgiveness. But a question surfaces, “What is sin? The Catholic Encyclopedia defines sin as “Nothing else than a morally bad act (St. Thomas, “De malo”, 7:3), an act not in accord with reason informed by the Divine law. God has endowed us with reason and free-will, and a sense of responsibility; He has made us subject to His law, which is known to us by the dictates of conscience, and our acts must conform with these dictates, otherwise we sin (Romans 14:23).” No matter how the definition of sin is cast, people know when they sin, unless they have clouded their consciences, failing to accept the impulses of God. (Yes, there are deniers, those who deny that sin exists. They will come to realize their folly at the end of their lives.)To sin is a violation of our basic nature.
During his lifetime, Jesus Christ emphasized on numerous occasions God’s compassion for human weakness and his willingness to forgive mankind’s sins. When a paralytic came to Jesus seeking a cure for his paralysis, Jesus first gave him the best cure of all, “Your sins are forgiven.” Only after the forgiveness of sin did Jesus cure the paralytic of his physical ailment. The importance and priority the forgiveness of sin over the cure of physical ills was emphatically demonstrated. Similarly, Jesus forgave the sins of the prostitute, while encouraging her to sin no more. Then on Easter, Jesus’ first act was to confer upon the apostles the ability to forgive sins. ( John20:23) The forgiveness of sins was/is the priority of Jesus as he guides mankind towards salvation.
How fortunate we humans are….God readily and demonstrably forgives our sins when we humbly ask for His forgiveness. It may be Jesus’ greatest gift to mankind, His Mercy. Similar to the mother who forgave her child’s transgression and gave the child a loving hug so also God forgives our sins and compassionately hugs us. How fortunate we are to have such a loving, caring, and compassionate God!!!
Will we accept His invitation to seek loving forgiveness??
“Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.” From the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.