Forgiveness

[mgn2010]

Someone in conversation finds it a contradiction that a person who lives a sinful life but attempts at correcting their faults is still allowed to be eligible for forgiveness in confessing his sorrow for such a life in a last minute confession. The main contention is the thought that a person can work at correcting his faults in life, but then fails for the most part…and still is allowed forgiveness for his wrongs, especially if they are mortal in nature. Any responses to this person’s apparent dilemma to understanding the mercy of God?

 

[57classic]

Someone in conversation finds it a contradiction that a person who lives a sinful life but attempts at correcting their faults is still allowed to be eligible for forgiveness in confessing his sorrow for such a life in a last minute confession. The main contention is the thought that a person can work at correcting his faults in life, but then fails for the most part…and still is allowed forgiveness for his wrongs, especially if they are mortal in nature. Any responses to this person’s apparent dilemma to understanding the mercy of God?

God’s mercy and forgiveness is His to give, it is a gift. He can give it to whomever He wants. The person to who you are referring has forgotten that God is also able, unlike human beings to see into a person’s heart to know their sincerity. Too many times we treat God as an older, wiser, adviser and not as an all knowing, all powerful Father, Who’s ways are not ours.

Consider the Prodigal Son and his brother. The brother had no appreciation for the gifts of his father until his brother was welcomed back. He didn’t ask his father for a goat to celebrate with his friends, he simply assumed he wouldn’t get it because the father never offered it to him, but the brother should have asked. We should always ask for graces and mercy for ourselves and for others and extend that mercy to others as we will be judged on how we have shared what we have received. It is not our job to judge souls because we cannot read hearts.

 

[JM3]

Matthew 20:1-16

 

[mgn2010]

Points well taken 57Classic. It appears this person is perturbed with the open forgiveness that is available to one who has habitually engaged in heinous crimes and still can get granted forgiveness in that last hour of repentance. Sharing this scenario did not go over well with his way of thinking that justice for such sins is the only answer. Is this part of the stumbling block many will be susceptible to in not being able to fathom the agape love portrayed on the cross?

 

[TK421]

God exists in an eternal state of fulfillment and requires nothing from us. Among creatures, I might offer you bread because you’re hungry, and you might offer me water because I’m thirsty, and we make an exchange, and we fulfill out debts to each other. But it is impossible for God to ever be in debt since he is self-sustained in every way. We can’t buy our way into Heaven through possessions (and good deeds are possessions) because God was already perfect before you ever performed those deeds, and God is perfect regardless if a person commits 100 or 1000 or 1000000 faults. The only thing he really cares about is our love.

When God gives out his graces and offers us the Beatific Vision, he does so purely out of generosity and goodness and not out of compulsion.

Refer to the Parable of the Workers of the Vineyard. Matthew Chapter 20.

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On another level, there might be an envy because a person allegedly “got away” with a sinful life. But this is an error because there is nothing to envy about a sinful life. So when a brother returns to God after a life of buying into lies, we should have only compassion for him.

 

[57classic]

Points well taken 57Classic. It appears this person is perturbed with the open forgiveness that is available to one who has habitually engaged in heinous crimes and still can get granted forgiveness in that last hour of repentance. Sharing this scenario did not go over well with his way of thinking that justice for such sins is the only answer. Is this part of the stumbling block many will be susceptible to in not being able to fathom the agape love portrayed on the cross?

Having been raised with a mother who had been raised with more justice than mercy, I can easily see why the person in question has the attitude they have and it has taken years of pondering on forgiveness, asking questions–often here on this forum, taking classes and finally studying St. Therese of Lisieux, to even begin to wrap my head around the Merciful Love Jesus offers us. I still wonder about the whole Justice/Mercy scale balance but the words of Our Lord’s Prayer says “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” Jesus means what He says there! We will only be forgiven to the degree we are willing to forgive others and if we resent the forgiveness received by others what can we expect when we stand before the Judge?

If this person can be persuaded, I highly recommend Fr. Michael Gaitley’s series of books, especially 33 Days to Merciful Love. I have read it several times and get something new out of it each time. The videos that accompany the books to be used as a class are available on FORMED if your parish has a subscription.

Think of it this way: You are a parent with several children all with different personalities. One needs more encouragement, one needs more discipline, one needs praise and one is always in some kind of money trouble. Do you treat each one exactly the same as the others? No, you tailor your parenting to the situation taking into consideration the personalities of each. God is much better at parenting than we are especially because He can read our hearts and He can see the future. He also knows how a person would have behaved after receiving His last minute forgiveness if they had miraculously survived. We can’t possibly know all this but we must trust that He always does what is best for each soul, giving them every opportunity to accept the Merciful Love He extends.

 

[Rosebud77]

Someone in conversation finds it a contradiction that a person who lives a sinful life but attempts at correcting their faults is still allowed to be eligible for forgiveness in confessing his sorrow for such a life in a last minute confession. The main contention is the thought that a person can work at correcting his faults in life, but then fails for the most part…and still is allowed forgiveness for his wrongs, especially if they are mortal in nature. Any responses to this person’s apparent dilemma to understanding the mercy of God?

Taking on God’s job is a dangerous occupation. And hubris rushes in

 

[Tis_Bearself]

People have already mentioned the Prodigal Son and the Workers in the Vineyard…

need to also mention Matthew 7:5
“Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam in thy own eye, and then shalt thou see to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

Who are we to judge the supposed wrongs that some other person committed, or the degree to which they’ve tried to overcome/ repent/ make up for them? For all we know, this person could have some mental illness or other thoughts in his heart of which we are not aware but God who sees and knows all is well aware.

We should be concentrating on our own relationship with God and not on whether or what God is doing forgiving other people. It’s not like their being forgiven or not has any adverse effect on our own relationship with God, like there’s some finite amount of forgiveness and they took more than their share. God’s mercy is infinite. And we should wish that as many people as possible, all people if God wishes, are forgiven and join with us in experiencing His eternal glory.