When you forgive you don’t change the past you change the future.
Matthew 6: 7-15
HOMILY BY REV CONFIDENCE MASVOSVA
Monkey see, monkey do. This philosophy can apply to our life as Christians. Christ did not only teach by words but by his life and deeds. Forgiveness is one of the key aspects in the period of Lent that we can focus on as we grow in our relationship with God.
Jesus himself said you must forgive others for the Father to forgive you. We are called to have forgiveness in our hearts in order to receive forgiveness. We are to forgive ourselves before we even think of forgiving others.
God can only give us what we can receive. Forgiveness comes on a prepared ground. We all make mistakes in our lives; we do or say the wrong things at the wrong time. It is a fact of life; we all mess up. Forgiveness is not just saying that thing happened, or I did not do well then or it happened for a reason. This is not forgiveness.
Forgiveness is admitting that I have sinned against this person or God, I regret doing so and I will strive to change so that in the future I will not make the same mistake. Forgiveness comes when we put in the effort to change; when we get up from the place where have fallen.
There is a reason why many Christians believe in penance. Penance is what we do to gain absolution for our sins. It is often prayers, but can include fasting, volunteering or other acts of mercy that will assist in the journey of spiritual growth. Penance is a chance to reflect upon where we have been and where we would like to go. To get forgiveness, there must be some level of self-reflection and growth. Our sorrow for our sins must lead to growth. And only by God’s grace are we granted the growth to move past our sins and to a new level of enlightenment.
In this season of Lent, let us remember that forgiveness is a direction that we can take. A way that takes us on a journey of reflection, deepening our self-knowledge, strengthening our relationship with Christ and most importantly increasing our love for God, for ourselves and for our neighbours.