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The readings today are meant for all of us. They are
telling us that God’s love is far more powerful than our sins. Our focus needs
to be on God, not on our past sins, not on ourselves[1].
Consider that first reading from the Second Book of
Samuel[2].
David had sinned horribly. He thought he had covered it up well. But in the
reading we learn that David’s sin was no longer secret. Nathan told him that
God knew what he did to Uriah, committing adultery with his faithful soldier’s
wife and then sending word for Uriah to be deserted by his comrades during a
skirmish so he could be killed. David thought he had outsmarted everyone. But
God saw. And God knew. David was the leader of the Chosen People. He was hand picked by God and promised
a progeny that would last forever. His sins were so much worse than anyone
else’s sins due to his position and the blessings God gave him. And yet, in
today’s reading when David seeks forgiveness, God immediately forgives him.
Consider that woman who washed Jesus’ feet. She was a
known sinner. She was probably a prostitute. Perhaps she was just a loose woman
who had no respect for herself and easily gave herself to others. She certainly
was not a woman of virtue. But she was repentant. And she was forgiven.
Their sins and our sins are not what matters. God’s forgiveness is what matters. God’s
love is what matters. When we feel overwhelmed by our past sins, sins that
we have confessed and received absolution for, we are acting as though God did
not forgive us. That is wrong. We have been forgiven. Are we doubting God’s
power, or His compassion and His mercy? Do we think that we could possibly have
done something that was so evil that even God could not forgive it? Wouldn’t
that be incredible arrogance on our part?
If we live in our past, we will be ignoring our
present and eliminating the possibility of having a future. If we are so
concerned about our past sins that we continue to focus on them, then we will
miss what is happening around us. We will miss the opportunities to bring the
mercy and compassion of God that we have received to others. God forgives us out
of love, but His love is not just meant for forgiven sinners. He forgives us
because He loves others. He knows that there are others we can lead to Him by
providing them with Christian compassion and mercy. We can’t do that if we are
all wrapped up in our own self-pity. We can’t do that if we refuse to recognize
that we have received God’s love. That is why I said that if we are bogged down
in our past we will miss our present, what is happening around us right now. A
lot of people do this. I’ve done this.
We say, “I’m not good enough to speak about God to others.” He has made
us good enough by the power of His blood! He has made us good enough by
forgiving us; all so we can proclaim is compassion and love to others.
Have our lives come to an end? Do we have no future? I certainly hope
we all have a future, particularly an eternal future. But how can we prepare
for our own participation in the Kingdom of God in heaven if we refuse to be
active members of this Kingdom right now? We need to recognize the infinite
power of God’s forgiveness, the fact that we live under His mercy, and allow
this mercy to flow through us to others.
Sometimes being stubborn is a good thing. But
sometimes it is not. It is never a
good thing to be stubborn when it comes to our relationship with God. We need
to let Him into our lives by acknowledging and accepting His forgiveness. St.
Paul told the Galatians and us in today’s second reading, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up
for me[3].
St. Paul, quite a sinner in his past life, went on to convert people all over
the Western part of the Roman Empire. He did this because he was forgiven. And so are we ■
