Forgiveness

I've been reminded recently of the profound interconnectedness of truth and love. Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict have written about this inter-relatedness in varying degrees. The latter remarks even that in Christ, the expression of this interconnectedness becomes the "Face of his Person."

As I reflected on this, my thoughts turned to forgiveness. Perhaps in no other practice do truth and love so completely unite than when they result in mercy and absolution. Forgiveness does not deny one iota of the seriousness of an evil or the harm it inflicts on the innocent. This is truth. Nor does forgiveness forget the humanity of the offender or the price that Christ paid on their behalf. This is love.

Christ who was the incarnation of the eternal Word of God is also the incarnation of Truth. And through His divine nature, He is also the incarnation of Love for God is Love. These two aspects of the nature of God became flesh in Christ as the Face of his Person. In a way then, he is also the incarnation of forgiveness itself - the visible expression of God's love and truth. Forgiveness was ultimately the reason for His coming and it is no wonder that Christ has so much to say about forgiveness in the gospels.

Forgiveness, like all expressions of holiness, is mutually beneficial both to the giver and the receiver. The giver is freed from the chains of anger and bitterness while the receiver is freed from guilt. Likewise, the only alternative to forgiveness is mutually harmful to both parties. One path results in a life in chains while the other a life in freedom. Christ, in this way, expresses, models, and makes possible the freedom for which He came to set us free. What is most mysterious is why a life in chains ever seems so appealing?