Forgiveness and Justice: Re-establishing Harmony and Balance

By Monsignor Stephen Pedone

It is said that the Church is the only community in the world the prerequisite in order to belong is to be a sinner. Because of original sin we are a fallen, broken people, with a proclivity to sin. But Jesus, through His suffering death, and resurrection, has bought us back, has redeemed us from the powers of evil and death, and that the gates of heaven have been opened to us. The promise of eternal life is ours. We believe in conversion that through the God given power of grace working in us, people can and do change and are molded and formed into the likeness of Christ. St. Paul, in his Letter to the Romans, says that despite the increase of sin, grace has far surpassed it. (Romans 5:20)

The Church was established by Christ as His primordial sacrament, a continuing sign of His grace, love, care and concern for us, which He has promised, will be ours forever. His love is all encompassing and it will never let go of us that no matter what weâve done, God will forgive us if we manifest sorrow for our transgressions and what theologians call "reason of amendment." As such we promise to do all in our limited power to avoid sin.

The Greek word for forgiveness is aphesis, which is translated "to liberate, to set free." Each one of us has been hurt, sometimes grievously hurt, by the actions of another. These hurts have deeply wounded our hearts and at times had major negative impact on our lives. These hurts turn into barriers that prevent us from living freely and fully in a healthy way. These barriers need to be removed so that we can be liberated from the dark forces that seek to inhabit our lives. The only way we can be set free is through forgiveness.

Forgiveness is not excusing the damaging effect of the actions of others. Rather forgiveness, which is more often a process than a single act, is opening the pain to the light, to the healing power of God's grace. I've had people tell me they could never forgive an abusive spouse, a neglectful parent, and a child who has broken the heart of a parent. When we cannot or will not forgive we continue the punishment which the actions of others have initiated. We keep the pain locked away in the depths of our beings where it only changes us into angry, self loathing; spiteful human beings ever more determined to seek retribution, serving only to make us prisoners of our hate and need to get even. Hate is like a fire that consumes and destroys everything to which it comes in contact. Its destructive power is unleashed not only on the object of the hate, on the person who hates, but in many directions.

To forgive is to free yourself from the power another has over you. That person may not even be aware of that power. In forgiving you unhook yourself from the bonds of another and that person's actions. The one who forgives is the major beneficiary in this work of liberation and freedom. One can never be healed of hurt and pain unless he or she forgives.

It must be remembered that forgiveness is a divine quality, a supernatural gift for which we must pray and to which we must be open. As God has forgiven us, so must we forgive one another?

Reconciliation is the second step in the process of forgiveness. It is "righting the wrong" or at least attempting to do so. In the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the priest confessor imposes a penance that signifies that a wrong has been committed and the need to bring about healing not only for the individual who has been wronged, but also for the community which has also been affected. The sin is forgiven but something must be done to restore balance. This is where the issue of justice comes in. Justice is concerned with re-establishing harmony and balance. My father can forgive me for denting his car but that doesnât remove the dent. I have to fix this dent. Reconciliation and justice are intertwined and indispensable in the work of forgiveness and healing.

In closing, I would like to quote from Jean Vanier, in his book Becoming Human: "To forgive is to break down the walls of hostility that separate us, and to bring each other out of the anguish of loneliness, fear, and chaos into communion and oneness". Of course all this takes time. But are we not all called to take this journey if we want to become fully human, to conquer divisions, and to work for peace?

If each one of us today begins this journey and has the courage to forgive and be forgiven, we will no longer be governed by past hurts. Wherever we may be - in our families, our work places, with friends or in places of worship or of leisure - we can rise up and become agents of a new land. We are simply human beings, enfolded in weakness and in hope, called together to change our world one heart at a time.

Monsignor Stephen Pedone is Judicial Vicar for the Diocese of Worcester.