The Faith Page - December

It is better to give than to receive, isn’t it?

And Forgive Us Our Trespasses, As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us

Mercy and forgiveness are two of my favorite things, when I am on the receiving end. I love the feeling I get coming out of the confessional into a quiet church and heading up to the front of Saint Peter’s where I like to kneel under our beautiful Blessed Mother statue. Then, I say the prayers of penance given to me by the priest. This is the moment  where the weight of my sins are lifted, and I feel God’s mercy embrace me.

In 1994, Imaculee’ Iligibiza survived the Rwandan genocide. Her family did not. Her friends did not. Approximately 800,000 of her fellow countrymen were killed while she spent 91 days in a tiny bathroom with 7 other women. Imaculee’ prayed the rosary daily with a set of rosary beads her father gave her the day they said goodbye for the very last time. However, as Imaculee’ approached this line of forgiveness, she skipped it. Yep, the words Jesus taught us to pray she changed to fit her own life. “Give us this day our daily bread (skip forgiveness line) and lead us not into temptation.” She did not want to forgive the people who had killed her family. In time Imaculee’ got to where she could not get past the first two words of the Our Father. Our Father. OUR Father? Certainly God is not the Father of the killers too? Yes He is, she realized. It was as she realized that God is the father of all of us that a healing and forgiveness began. She was then able to once again pray all of the words Jesus taught us in the Our Father. Imaculee’ went to a prison to forgive the man who had killed her family. Imaculee’ understands forgiveness.  

This month as we celebrate Advent and the coming of the Christ child let us try to give and receive forgiveness. Our parish penance service is on December 13. Go. God loves you so much and His mercy awaits you in the words, “may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Also, grant forgiveness to those who may have hurt you. Remember God is a Father to us all not just some of us. If you are having trouble giving forgiveness you are certainly not alone, but I am working on it. Merry Christmas.