The Holy Great-Martyr Marina; Passing into Eternal Life (1944) of Blessed Tarsykia (Matskiv) of the Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate, Martyr
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1 Corinthians 12:12-26; Matthew 18:18-22; 19:1-2, 13-15
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
The Holy Mystery of Repentance (Confession) is a most amazing Mystery (Sacrament). After examining my conscience and with repentance, and a turning toward the Lord and away from my sins, I come before the Lord in the person of the priest and confess my sins—very much like the prodigal son did to his father in the parable. The Lord receives this confession of sins and, as it says in the Psalms, throws them as far as the east is from the west. I am forgiven.
Today’s Gospel starts with this authority being given to the disciples when our Lord states, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” The Church, through her priestly ministers (bishops and priests), exercises this authority in the Holy Mystery of Repentance.
What about when others sin against me? asks Peter. We forgive because our Lord forgives us. How often? EVERY TIME! It doesn’t matter how often we are asked for forgiveness from others, we are to forgive every single time—that’s what the “seventy times seven” means—always.
I know, I know… some of you are saying that holding a grudge against someone makes me feel better. Is that really true? It may give a feeling of superiority for a while (how does that square with a life of humility for a Christian?), but experience shows that this soon fades into a type of gangrene of the soul, and a further breaking of the relationship. Others will say that they don’t feel like forgiving someone, it doesn’t feel right within them at that time. Here’s the thing: forgiveness is not a feeling but an act of the will. There are often emotional responses that do need to be dealt with in a manner that leads to healing and often occurs over time.
Our Lord gives us a very good commandment—forgive every single time someone asks.