27 February, Friday — To forgive and forget is divine

Friday of the 1^st Week of Lent

Eze 18:21-28
Mt 5:20-26

“All the sins he committed will be forgotten from then on.”

There is a common saying, “To err is human, to forgive is divine,” which I feel is really incomplete. I know a lot of people — I admit I am guilty as well — who can forgive, but they cannot forget what has been done to them. And it becomes a struggle because if our hearts are fashioned after God’s, then God had given us a heart who longs not just to forgive, but to also forget the transgressions so we can start with a clean slate. I know some of us even yearn to be able to go back to how things were with someone before the transgressions.

Before I move any further with this reflection, I just want to emphasize that having relationships with our fellow human beings sometimes requires that we don’t forget what was done, so that we can protect ourselves from further harm. If we read the Gospel, we are not just invited to forgive, we are invited to reconcile with our brothers. But the brokenness of everyone makes reconciliation difficult and, sometimes, unsafe. I want to make sure that we all keep this in mind because sometimes, well-meaning Christians carry the burden of the call to forgiveness, thinking that it must always result in reconciliation.

God is able to forgive and forget, not just because of his boundless love, but also because no matter what we do, we will never be able to harm God. And this means we can always get reconciled with God. Now, I’m not saying this so we take advantage of this fact, but so that we can appreciate the gift that God has given us. There is always a door for us to come back to him, as long as we are sincere.

Brothers and sisters, we are not God. So how do we forgive those to trespass against us? I think that’s something that we need to pray for during this Lenten season. Because God has the wisdom. He knows how we can forgive and be safe. He knows when it’s good to reconcile or to keep a distance. And for some of us, praying that God teaches us to forgive is already a sacrifice. Even wanting to forgive doesn’t come easy. But let’s get that conversation started with God.

The last thing I would invite everyone to do is to pray that God teaches us to forgive ourselves, and to see us as God sees us — with stains of sin forgotten once we have fully reconciled with God. They say hurting people hurt people. Unfortunately, sometimes we are the ones hurting ourselves. So, let’s ask God to help us forgive ourselves.

Brothers and sisters, I sincerely pray that this season of Lent brings you peace.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Stephanie Villa)

Prayer: Lord, help me learn more about forgiveness.

Thanksgiving: Thank you, Lord, for forgetting my sins.