Admittedly, this complicates the process of reconciliation between Catholics and Jews, but does not present an insurmountable hurdle. This means that Catholics living several decades after the Holocaust can feel great shame and remorse for the tragic wrong of that event, but cannot confess guilt for actions that were not their own. Furthermore, one does not know for certain the degree of guilt that is borne by another conscience. One cannot confess the sins of another, even those of a close family member. In this rite, the priest absolves the penitent of his or her sins, but only when the penitent has confessed with true sorrow and a firm purpose of amendment or conversion.Īll of this presumes, however, that the penitent, who is the offender, is alive and personally offers a verbal confession of his or her sin. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.Ĭatholic theology finds here Jesus intention to establish a sacrament of forgiveness in a formal rite of penance. John in 20: 21-23 records the appearance of Jesus in the upper room:Īs the Father has sent me, so I send you…. As our appreciation for experiencing Gods forgiveness grows within us, so our capacity for forgiveness expands.īecause forgiveness is so essential to the message of Jesus, it is not surprising that in his first post-Resurrection appearance, Jesus gives authority to his apostles to exercise forgiveness in his name. Forgiveness, then, is sine qua non, the requirement for a true worship of God.Īs sure as the follower of Jesus experiences Gods love by loving his neighbor, so too does that believer experience the forgiveness of God in the act of forgiving his neighbor.įorgiveness is both the result of Gods action and a condition for it. This notion is enshrined in the heart of the Lords Prayer: ∿orgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors (Matthew 6:12). It follows that forgiving the offender becomes the basis upon which Christians request forgiveness of ourselves. The wounds of division and hatred are overcome.īy becoming a victim himself and, as such, acting as the one who forgives, Jesus reveals a new logic in human relationships, one not based on the dictates of retribution but on the demand for mercy. It is by forgiving the injury that the future of reconciliation opens. In so doing, Jesus replaces the expected norms of justice with an appeal to active, unconditional forgiveness. Jesus calls attention to the pervasive presence of sin to break the circle of retaliation created by sin. If no one is willing to forgive this woman, then who among them has the right to ask for forgiveness? The result is that once they are reminded of their own sins, the people are moved to mercy for the woman not only for her sake, but for theirs as well. While not denying the legitimate claims of the law, Jesus says to the crowd, Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. The prescriptions of the Mosaic Law call for the woman to be stoned to death. In John 8, we again find Jesus confronted with the precepts of the Law of Moses in the case of an adulterous woman who is brought to him. I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home. (Mark 2:10-11). He states: That you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth…. Jesus counters by asking if it is easier to cure a man or forgive his sins. Marks Gospel, Jesus says to the paralytic: Your sins are forgiven. Hearing this, the scribes ask, Why does this man speak that way? Who but God alone can forgive sins? In the Gospels, the most radical change in the theology of forgiveness lies in Jesus claim to possess the divine authority to forgive sins. For your names sake spurn us not, disgrace not the throne of your glory remember your covenant with us, and break it not. We recognize, O Lord, our wickedness, the guilt of our fathers that we have sinned against you. Jeremiah the prophet declares (14: 20-21): Ultimately, Gods abundant mercy and forgiveness become the grounds for the covenant, which is a catalyst for Gods repeated act of forgiving his people. Yet, while forgiveness originates in God, there are conditions for the one forgiven: He must pray for forgiveness he must confess his sins he must turn away from sin and repent, or teshuvah. He crowns you with kindness and compassion. This Catholic notion of forgiveness can find its origins in the Bible. The concept of forgiveness is a key aspect in ones participation in the Catholic faith. Representing a group of bishops and rabbis making their Interfaith Journey to the Holy Land and Rome, Ukrainian Catholic Bishop Basil Losten lays a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem in memory of those killed in World War II concentration camps.
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