(Luke
23:33-35)
 |
As
we begin our Lenten journey today we invite you, for the next seven weeks, to
come and stand with us at the foot of the Cross as we listen to the 'Seven Last
Words' spoken by Jesus. Each week we will post a reflection which will
seek guidance from these words as we, his Church today, like him, experience
betrayal, criticism, abandonment and disownment.
In
this first weekly Lenten Reflection we shall listen to Christ's plea of
forgiveness; considering these words in the context in which Jesus spoke them
and questioning how they affect our perception of God's forgiveness towards us
- and others.
Reflection:
As
Jesus spoke these words he may have thought about Judas who betrayed him, the
Jewish leaders who perceived him as a threat, the Romans who wished to maintain
control and order; he may have looked down from the cross towards the people
who had scourged him, beaten him, spat on him, and shouted for him to die….and
yet he asked God to forgive them. But
when we consider the whole ministry of Jesus, would we expect any less from him
than forgiveness of those who mistreated and killed him? Isn’t that ultimately what his cross is
really all about?
As
Christians we believe that it is also our sins that put Jesus on the cross, as
much as Pilate and all the others, and so we can rightly hear Jesus’ petition
for forgiveness as including us too. And just as God forgave those who
betrayed his Son and attempted to eradicate all his influence and his works so
too, in present times, does God forgive those who, like Judas, have betrayed
his Church. . . God forgives those who, like some of his followers, have
abandoned his Church. . . God forgives those who, like Peter, have denied
belonging to his Church. . . God forgives those who, like the Romans, would
like to see the Church’s influence and works die. . . God forgives those who,
like Pontius Pilate, listen to the crowds without following their own hearts. .
. God forgives those who, like Thomas, have lost faith in the Church. . . God
forgives pride, anger, judgements, jealousies, resentments. . . God’s
forgiveness is bountiful and endless. It may be a forgiveness which we feel is
underserved and inappropriate for some but, nonetheless, God’s forgiveness,
often unlike our own, is immediate and without reservation.
But how do we feel about being
forgiven by God?
We
may not have explicitly betrayed or abandoned Christ and the Church but we are
all sinners. Do we really believe God
has forgiven us for our sins? Do we enjoy the freedom of God’s forgiveness? Even
though you trust God and have confessed your sins perhaps, you believe you are
only ‘semi-forgiven’ and you live as though sin still has power over your
life? Do you try to prove yourself to
God, as though you might earn more forgiveness if only you were better?
The
truth of God’s complete forgiveness needs to penetrate your heart in new
ways. Jesus dies so that we are forgiven
for our sins. As we hear the words,
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" may we fully
understand that we too today are forgiven through Christ.
Prayer for the week:
Good
and gracious God, help me to know with fresh conviction that I am fully and
finally forgiven, not because of anything I have done, but because of what you
have done for me. May I live this week as a forgiven person, opening my heart
to you, choosing not to sin because the power of sin has been broken by your
salvation. All praise be to you for your matchless forgiveness! Amen.
Come and Join us....
If you live in Dublin why not come and be present for our Lenten Reflections? The above reflection is one of two that will be shared; the second will have a particulary Francsican flavour. Reflections will be held at the Our Lady of
the Angels Capuchin Church on Church Street in Dublin each Friday of Lent beginning at 8:00pm for forty minutes. Music for these reflections will be provided by
the CYC chamber choir. You can read the other weeks reflections here: week one, week two, week three, week four and week five.
