A Homily given by Fr. Ben Jones; Curate,
St. George’s Anglican Church, Raleigh, NC;
on The Ninth Sunday after Trinity; A.D. 2009.
“Forgiveness”
+ In the name of God the Father, and of God the Son, and of God the Holy Ghost,
Amen.
St. luke 15:21-24. “and the son said unto him, father I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”
We are all familiar with the parable of “The Prodigal Son” recorded in the Gospel according to St. Luke. Why is Jesus teaching by this particular parable at this particular time? At this point in Jesus’ ministry, He is returning to Jerusalem where His Father’s work will be completed. Just prior to His return, Jesus prayed to His Heavenly Father, “I have glorified thee on earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do”.1 We remember from our Good Friday Liturgy, Jesus exclaiming from the cross, “It is finished: and bowed His head, and gave up the ghost”.2
Jesus is using the parable of the Prodigal Son, with two other parables; “The Lost Sheep” and “The Lost Coin”, to explain the purpose of His ministry on earth, as well as at His Father’s right hand. We see a progression between these three parables from the relationship of one in a hundred, (the parable of the Lost Sheep), to one in ten, (the parable of the Lost Coin), to the focus of only one in one, (the parable of the Prodigal Son). In the first two parables the Shepherd and the woman went to look for what was lost, teaching us the infinite love of God towards all of us. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus as the father waits for sinful man, the lost son, to come to Him. The father runs to his son, greeting him with a kiss and ordering the celebration to begin. This is the example that Jesus gives to show how our Heavenly Father welcomes a repentant sinner who has strayed from His infinite love. We are shown His mercy and grace through “FORGIVENESS” in the parable of the Prodigal Son.
C. S. Lewis discovered a profound difference between forgiveness and being excused, which we should understand as well. At one point he found that when he asked for forgiveness he was, in reality, asking God for something quite different. “I am not asking Him not to forgive me, but to excuse me.”3 According to C. S. Lewis, asking to be excused is saying that we couldn’t help, or that we didn’t mean our thoughts, or our words, or our deeds, which results in the belief that we weren’t really to blame after all. The thought, the word, or the deed, is still present. He continues to define that asking God for forgiveness is like saying, yes, we have had this thought, or said this word, or have been involved in this deed. We were to blame and accept responsibility. By God accepting our apology, or our confession, everything between us and God will be exactly as before the occurrence of the thought, word, or deed. This is true forgiveness. C. S. Lewis describes his understanding of forgiveness in the following manner. “For a long time I believed that I believed in the forgiveness of sins. But suddenly this truth appeared in my mind in so clear a light that I perceived never before had I believed it with my whole heart.4 He came to this realization after the Sacrament of Penance, (personal confession and absolution).
Old and New Testament scriptural references teach the many truths on forgiveness and how this restores our relationship with Jesus Christ. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”5 We see from St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, that forgiveness of our sins in addition to restoring our relationship with Jesus Christ ensures our “Eternal Salvation”. What else do we understand? Forgiveness amongst us individually, is essential to forgiveness from our Heavenly Father. “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”6 Peter had a concern with forgiving his fellow man. “Then came Peter to Him and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”7 What was Jesus saying to Peter? Peter took for granted that he must forgive and was thinking I can make an effort to forgive the trespasses of my brother a few times. Peter thinks that it is a great matter to forgive till seven times. He didn’t mean seven times a day as Christ had said, but seven times in his life. Peter figured if his neighbor abused him seven times, then he would abandon him and have no more to do with him. It is just part of a prideful nature not to forgive too much, though we have had so much forgiven of us by our Heavenly Father. Jesus takes forgiveness to a whole new level. We must not only not bear a grudge against our brother, or mediate revenge, but be as good a neighbor as ever, and forget the injury, just as it never happened. Our Heavenly Father multiplies His pardons, and so should we. We imitate our Heavenly Father in order that forgiveness becomes our constant practice and accustom ourselves until it becomes habitual. This is a new twist for us. Rather than allowing sin to become a habitual act, we now take a Christian act, such as forgiveness towards our neighbor and repeat it again and again and again, until it becomes natural. In other words, unlimited forgiveness must characterize the true disciple, not retaliatory listing of others’ offenses in an attitude of limited forgiveness. There are several other scriptural references to forgiveness, however, let’s return to the “Prodigal Son” and his father.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a tremendous illustration and example of the great love that God pours out on us. He seeks after us. He reaches out to us. When we come to our Heavenly Father, He cleanses us of all of our sins, not holding them against us. Micah prophesied on this very forgiveness of God. “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”8 We are unconditionally forgiven and don’t need to ask forgiveness for that thought, word, or deed, ever again.
We all require God’s grace, His unearned, unmerited love for us as we see being given to the prodigal son. “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”9 Note the parallel between “dead and alive” and “lost and found”. These terms show the condition of one’s soul before and after becoming one of Christ’s own. St. Paul teaches the Church at Ephesus, “And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. (by grace ye are saved;) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”10 We are the focus of this gift of God.
We have an example of that unearned, unmerited love in our midst, the crucifix on the Altar. In the Catholic tradition, we have a corpus on the cross to remind us of the work that Jesus Christ did for us. We hear in the Oblation which follows the “Words of Institution”, “having in remembrance His blessed passion and precious death, His mighty resurrection and glorious ascension rendering unto thee most hearty thanks for the innumerable benefits procured unto us by the same.11 Innumerable benefits: that is what the cross means to us. When we look upon the crucifix, we see the evidence of the love of God for us. He is that perfect sacrifice that enables forgiveness, (both horizontal and vertical), in the Absolution of our sins. We have been given the unconditional promise in being that prodigal son or daughter, being forgiven in the loving arms of our Heavenly Father.
AMEN.
+
“AND NOW UNTO GOD THE FATHER,
GOD THE SON,
AND GOD THE HOLY GHOST;
BE ASCRIBED ALL MIGHT,
MAJESTY, POWER,
AND DOMINION,
MOST JUSTLY DUE THIS DAY,
BOTH NOW, AND FOREVER,
WORLD WITHOUT END,
AMEN.”
1 The Gospel according to St. John 17:4.
2 The Gospel according to St. John 19:30.
3 C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory; pp.
4 C.S. Lewis, The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume III; pp.
5 The Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans 8:1-2.
6 The Gospel according to St. Matthew 6:14-15.
7 The Gospel according to St. Matthew 18:21-22.d
8 Micah 7:18-19.
9 The Gospel according to St. Luke 15:32.
10The Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians 2:1,4-5, 8.
11 BCP, ’28 ed.; page 81.