WEEK ONE THE FIRST WORD FORGIVENESS

Transcription

1 WEEK ONE THE FIRST WORD FORGIVENESS Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One! The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself! There was also an inscription over him, This is the King of the Jews. Luke 23: Christ on the Cross, Tiepolo, Giandomenico (Giovanni Domenico) ( ) / Private Collection / Bridgeman Images

2 16 THE FIRST WORD: FORGIVENESS 17 DAY 1 ASH WEDNESDAY FATHER, FORGIVE THEM Mental health counselors often encourage their clients to learn how to forgive themselves. It is true that we are often our own worst critics and judges. However, the problem with this well-meaning counsel is that we are manifestly not the ones to offer forgiveness to ourselves. Even if we were able to somehow attain a more charitable attitude toward ourselves, which is not a bad thing, this attitude would be completely inadequate to truly heal and restore us. The real need that every one of us has is to understand and receive the gift of God s forgiveness. In the Psalms, David writes to God, Against you, and you only have I sinned. He is expressing the truth that all sin and wrongdoing even that which is directed toward other human beings is ultimately against God Himself. That is why God must be the one to forgive us. True freedom from sin and guilt can be found only in Him. Ash Wednesday calls us to remember our need for God, as well as our finite and sinful nature. We are tangibly marked on the forehead with the sign of the cross in dirty black ash. God formed man out of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). As creatures, we are limited and finite Remember that you are dust. The mark is also a reminder of the fall of humanity into sin. We have rebelled against the loving command of God and forfeited a vital relationship with God. As a consequence, we are now given to an inevitable, ignoble death as mortals: and to dust you shall return. Ash Wednesday does not leave us in the dust, however. It is also the day we begin the season of Lent at the throne of grace. The Lord invites us to the table where He gives us another firm reminder one of grace, redemption, and restoration. In the bread and wine, we mysteriously commune with the body and blood of our crucified Savior. Through the Sacrament, we remember what He has done for us in bearing in His body the finite and mortal nature of man. By becoming one of us and like us in our death, God has made it possible for us to become like Him. Before going to the cross, Jesus took bread and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood (Luke 22:19-20). Let that good Word connect with you personally Jesus is speaking to you. He said, poured out for you. The blood of the New Covenant is for the forgiveness of your sins. Believe the words of Jesus and stop doubting His love for you. When you receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ, you begin approaching the foot of the cross and the throne of grace. Today, open your ears and your heart to hear the prayer of Jesus spoken on your behalf: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. The reality of God s forgiveness of your sins is as real as the black ashes marked on your forehead. Jesus death on the cross is an historic reality that takes away from you the mortality and sin that the black ash represents. Jesus love and forgiveness of your sin is as real as the sacramental bread and wine you consume.

3 18 THE FIRST WORD: FORGIVENESS 19 Rather than trying to forgive yourself, taste the Lord s words of forgiveness for you. Inwardly digest His love for you. Believe and receive the gift of forgiveness and love. REFLECT: Why is forgiving ourselves not enough why do we need God s forgiveness? Jesus said his blood was poured out for you, to forgive your sins because He loved you. If you grasped this truth more fully, how would it change your life? Ask for His help today.

4 20 THE FIRST WORD: FORGIVENESS 21 DAY 2 THURSDAY THE BLINDING EFFECT OF SIN In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul describes the human condition: For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened (Romans 1:21). Theologians refer to the noetic (intellectual or mental) effects of sin. What that means is that human sin and rebellion against God have corrupted our minds and destroyed the lively sensitivities of our hearts. Jesus intercedes: they know not what they do. Sin had so corrupted their minds and their hearts that the people who crucified Jesus did not even fathom the gravity of their own actions. They could not see their own evils; they were blind to their own sin. That is how corrupting sin can be. It can corrupt us to such a degree that we cannot see, believe, or realize that we are, in fact, sinning. This is true in each of our lives. One of the key reasons I need other people in my life other caring Christians is that they can actually see my sin very clearly. I am often blind to my sinful actions. I simply don t see them, but others can see these sinful actions and help me recognize them and bring them to the cross for forgiveness and repentance. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus asks, Why do you see the speck that is in your brother s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? (Matthew 7:3). Jesus knows us all too well. He knows we tend to minimize our own sin and maximize other people s sin. The Lord would call us to turn our vision back toward ourselves. Or how can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother s eye (Matthew 7:4-5). Jesus prayed: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. What did the people of Jerusalem do? Instead of praising Jesus, they mocked Him. The soldiers offered Him sour wine and said, If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself. A cynical inscription was even placed over Him: This is the King of the Jews. By clothing Jesus in the royal garments of a king, His crucifiers actually had it right. He was the King, though they did not acknowledge it. After they crucified Him, they cast lots to divide these very garments. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. What did they do? Three words: They crucified Him. The most evil action ever committed by humanity was done that day in sinful ignorance, they crucified the Lord of glory. How can this corrupt mental understanding, that continues today, be remedied? The Apostle Paul says: But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him

5 AND WHEN THEY CAME TO THE PLACE THAT IS CALLED THE SKULL, THERE THEY CRUCIFIED HIM... LUKE 23:33

6 24 THE FIRST WORD: FORGIVENESS 25 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 2:7-11 The blindness and corruption of our minds and hearts can only be reversed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Great humility is required to admit our mental and spiritual need. REFLECT: Have you ever asked God to fill you with His Holy Spirit? The path to knowing God and ourselves is through the inward filling of the Holy Spirit of God. In your prayer today, ask God to search your mind and heart through His Holy Spirit for any sin or darkness, and, by the same Holy Spirit, ask for comprehension of the thoughts of God.