The Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 15:23-26

The Gospel of Jesus contains many touching stories about forgiveness. I have already commented on some of them in my blog. St. Luke’s Gospel, chapter fifteen, however, offers the most touching stories by Jesus on forgiveness.

Most of us don’t mind forgiving the person who says: “I’m sorry.” But what about those people who are not sorry, who don’t ask for forgiveness, and who have wronged you? Do you forgive them? And, what about those people who simply annoy you? Like the teacher who keeps picking on you in class, the boss who makes you the butt of his jokes, the parent who cannot stand your dress code or brand of music, the child who tortures you and tests your nerves, constantly. Can you forgive them?

God’s forgiveness is without comparison. In the Old Testament, the Israelites are pictured as a stiff-necked people (Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14). No matter what God did for them they were worshipping a golden calf. Moses appealed to God to forgive his wayward people and God did. Thus, we learn that the basic attitude of God to us is forgiveness.

St. Paul was a great a sinner, just like he said of himself, “a blasphemer, a persecutor, a man filled with arrogance.” Yet, God turned the obdurate Paul around so that he “might display all his patience” and so that Paul “might become an example” to others.

In St. Luke’s Gospel, chapter fifteen, the Lord combines three parables to create a moral of God’s forgiving love. Jesus tells us that like a tidy housewife, a good shepherd, a forgiving father, God goes out of the way to recover the lost and to forgive. Jesus is trying to help us to understand the unconditional nature of God’s forgiveness. He also wants us to abandon a selfish view of justice and open up to forgiveness. Since God is so generous in forgiving, we are called to act likewise. God forgave the Israelites even after they had blatantly broken His first law – not to worship idols. God forgave St. Paul even though he ruthlessly persecuted Christians. God forgave the prodigal son no matter how reckless and promiscuous he was. Lucky for the stiff-necked Israelites, the obdurate Paul, and the prodigal son. Lucky for us.

God’s forgiveness is unconditional; He will never let us down, He is always there welcoming us back to Him with open arms like the father of the prodigal son. All He requires of us is to turn our hearts over to Him.

“A contrite and humble heart, O God, you will not spurn.”

Fr. Hugh Duffy