Forgiveness as Cement of Christian Community Life

In Manila's Chinatown, a young priest was assigned the task of teaching newly converted Chinese Catholics. Initially, the class progressed smoothly until the priest introduced the Chinese students to the Lord's Prayer in Tagalog.

"…patawarin mo kami sa aming mga utang at patawarin mo rin ang mga nagkakautang sa amin."

The entire class protested, "Ayaw namin, padre." The priest inquired why, and Bob Ong replied, "kung patawarin ko ang nagkakautang sa akin, bagsak ang aking negosyo!"

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On TikTok, Father Ciano addressed the married women during Mass, conveying a message along these lines:

"Bisan unsa pay buhaton sa inyong mga bana, mangabit ug mangulata,

pasayloa ug higugmaa."

He challenged them to emulate Jesus on the cross, saying, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." Reading through the comments, most argued that the priest could easily speak of forgiveness and love because he hadn't experienced life's hardships with abusive husbands.

As I watched Father Ciano's video clips, it became clear that he was challenging many traditional Filipino Christian mindsets and values. I wished I could have listened to the entire homily, as these video clips were likely only a fraction of the whole. He aimed to provoke and, hopefully, educate his audience.

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In today's Gospel reading (Mt 18:21-35), Peter asked Jesus how often he should forgive, suggesting seven times. This was a generous offer because the Jews at that time will only forgive three times. In response, Jesus said, "No, not seven times, but seventy times seven times…" He then shared the parable of the unjust steward, emphasizing unlimited forgiveness of the Father and the consequence of those forgiven individuals who cannot forgive their neighbors.

In principle, the idea of unlimited forgiveness is readily accepted, as it aligns with the nature of forgiveness itself. It speaks about the mercy and compassion of the Father and forgiveness is given out of compassion and not because of one's merits. However, in practice, it remains one of Jesus's most challenging teachings.

This theme also connects to the readings from last Sunday. Prophet Ezekiel was tasked to approach the wicked to make them see the evil of their deeds, acts of injustice and corruption. This is counter-cultural as we, in our human conduct, demand that it is the offenders who must seek reconciliation. But Jesus told us that we, Christians, must be the ones to approach those who offended us for reconciliation. Paul talked about love as the fulfillment of the law and our love, which always desires the good of others, compels us to go beyond our hurts and reconcile ourselves with those who hurt us. Forgiveness is not only an individual affair as it has social and communitarian dimensions. This is more pronounced in today's gospel where the mercy of God is not only limited to us and we are made responsible for forgiving others.

In her book, "You Can Heal Your Life," Louise Hay explains the importance of forgiveness: "

All diseases come from a state of unforgiveness. Whenever we are ill, we need to search our hearts to see whom we need to forgive... Forgiveness means giving up, letting go. It has nothing to do with condoning behavior. It's about letting go completely. We don't necessarily have to understand how to forgive; all we need is to be willing to forgive. God will take care of the 'how.'

Father Jerry Orbos, in one of his homilies, suggests that we are troubled in our lives because we carry excessive burdens. We often store negative emotions like hate, grudge, envy, jealousy, and sadness in our hearts, becoming overburdened in life. He likened us to a woman burdened by a heavy bag and urged us to unload, liberating ourselves from this heavy yoke. Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me." This unburdening process involves forgiveness. Many of us carry hatred in our hearts for too long. Are we destined to carry this burden to our graves? Let's learn to unload by forgiving those who have offended or hurt us.

Henri Nouwen explains,

To forgive another person from the heart is an act of liberation. We set that person free from the negative bonds that exist between us. We say, 'I no longer hold your offense against you.' But there is more. We also free ourselves from the burden of being the 'offended one.' As long as we do not forgive those who have wounded us, we carry them with us or, worse, pull them as a heavy load. Forgiveness, therefore, liberates not only the other person but also ourselves. It is the path to the freedom of the children of God.

Henri Nouwen eloquently adds, "Forgiveness is the name of love practiced among people who love poorly. The hard truth is that all people love poorly. We need to forgive and be forgiven every day, every hour increasingly. That is the great work of love within the fellowship of the weak that is the human family."

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Paul expresses this concept differently:

None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.

Although we value "kapwa," we are increasingly becoming individualistic. "I am my own" stands in contrast to what Paul tells us—that we no longer belong to ourselves but to the Lord. This highlights the importance of living in a community where "we live not for ourselves but for one another." Community is born from our capacity to prioritize the interests of others over our own (see Philippians 2:4).

Paul's dismay over the Corinthian Church stemmed from the fact that some were well-fed while others went hungry. He remarked, "When you gather in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's supper, for each one goes ahead with their own meal, and one goes hungry while another gets drunk." (1 Corinthians 11:20-21)

Paul's concern was that this didn't align with God's plan for his Christian community. So, what is God's plan for a Christian community?

In the book of Acts, we read, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2:42). They were "of one heart and soul" and "shared everything they had," ensuring that "there were no needy persons among them." (Acts 4:32-34)