A Beacon Of Light . . . Father, Forgive Them

By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON Jr.

(Editor’s Note: Fr. Breton is a priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Conn.)

• + + Yesterday, February 22, we celebrated Ash Wednesday and began the Lenten Season. As a way to assist us on this year’s journey through Lent, I mentioned last week that we would examine what is called the “Seven Last Words of Christ.” Seven phrases really, but theses phrases offer us an abundance of spiritual help for us to meditate upon.
  Having been condemned and having accepted His cross, Jesus carried it to Golgotha, the place of the skull. Arriving, He was stripped of His garments, thrown down upon the cross, nailed through His hands and feet and raised up to die in agony. As Jesus hangs there He continues to teach us about the Kingdom of God and how we are to follow His example. This example is that of a human nature redeemable through God’s love.
  Jesus begins His final teaching moments on Earth by speaking of forgiveness: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). If you, or I, were the one undergoing this passion, we would most likely not so readily be able to speak about forgiveness. For Jesus, however, forgiveness was at the heart of His ministry because it was precisely through forgiveness that we were found worthy of redemption.
  What does Jesus pray for first? He prays to the Father, the Creator Himself, pleading that His loving mercy be upon all of humanity. Then, Jesus pleads our cause by telling the Father that we do not know what we do. Here it is necessary to note that God, the Father, already knows what Jesus, the Son, is going to ask, but through these words, the Father and Son together with the help of the Holy Spirit, invite us into their thinking and make us participants in the action of forgiveness.
  Through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, in union with the Blessed Trinity, we are invited on the journey that will lead to our own redemption. God isn’t doing this for Himself, but rather, for all of us.
  These first words of Christ on the cross are fundamental to all the others. Without recognizing the need for forgiveness we cannot move forward toward our redemption. Redemption is not possible without God’s action of forgiveness. This action of forgiveness is made possible through the person of Jesus who hangs on the cross. For He bore our sins upon His shoulders as He carried the cross and three times the weight of our sins was so heavy that He fell. And yet, Jesus never gave up! He picked Himself up and finished the journey so that we might be saved.
  So immeasurably generous is God’s love for us, He provides many opportunities for us to participate in the gift of His forgiveness. The first and primary way, is through the Sacrament of Baptism where we are freed from the corruption of original sin. Baptism opens the door to the other actions of forgiveness. Through the cleansing waters of Baptism we receive the path through which we can seek out forgiveness. The Sacrament of Reconciliation, the apostolic pardon at the moment of death, and the many indulgences offered by the Church are all means through which we receive God’s forgiveness.
  The Sacrament of Reconciliation is the first way we receive God’s mercy and forgiveness. In this sacrament the penitents approach the confessional, having examined their conscience, with all their sins and confess to the Lord through the priest. Having confessed their sins, they are given a penance to make reparation for the actions committed. Then, if they are truly contrite, they are offered absolution. The priest proclaims these words:
  “God the Father of Mercies, through the death and Resurrection of His son has reconciled the world to Himself and poured forth the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins. Through the ministry of the Church, May God grant you pardon, and I absolve you of your sins, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.” (Prayer of Absolution).
  We can see here, as well as when Jesus was on the cross, the need to call upon God the Father, pleading for forgiveness.

The Apostolic Pardon

When a loved one is dying, the Church journeys with him up to and including the moment of death. In this moment the Church offers prayers specifically geared toward assisting the loved one, and their family, to ready themselves for the time of loss. One of the ways the Church continues the need for forgiveness is through the apostolic pardon. This is a moment that occurs as close to death as possible. It is a moment when the Church uses her authority on Earth to assist on the journey to Heaven. Basically the apostolic pardon is a plenary indulgence whereby the priest prays for the sick person and releases them from any punishment they would have incurred from their sins.
This is the prayer offered for the apostolic pardon: “Through the holy mysteries of our redemption, may Almighty God release you from all punishments in this life and in the life to come. May He open to you the gates of paradise and welcome you to everlasting joy” (Pastoral Care of the Sick: Rites of Anointing and Viaticum, p. 229). Again we see the mercy and forgiveness that God, in His divine love, continues to bestow on us His beloved children.
In these first words of Christ, we see that God never abandons us, in fact, He offers a way for us to return to Him. He is not cold-hearted, but our God who is filled with unconditional love is willing to show us the way back. God never lowers Himself to our level of ignorance, but continually calls us back to innocence. The sad reality is this, that we have forgotten that Jesus’ words call us to open our eyes in order that we may recapture the beauty of God’s love for us. The forgiveness that Jesus prayed for on the cross is readily available to all who seek it.
Today, however, we seek worldly things and have tossed aside the very gifts God uses to help us in our quest for eternal redemption. So many of God’s children have strayed from God and even though the path may seem so far off, it is actually in front of us each day waiting for us to take the first step toward forgiveness and eternal redemption.

Tomorrow Is Not Promised

We live our lives under the false notion that we have plenty of time to make things right with God. This is false because we never know when God will come to call us home. Just two days ago a priest friend of mine called in the evening and we made plans for dinner the next week. The following morning, however, he died suddenly of a heart attack. Tomorrow is never a guarantee but a gift!
In closing we find ourselves on the hill of Calvary, standing at the foot of the cross gazing upon Jesus Christ hanging above us in torment. His gaze down from the cross, encompasses each and every one of His children, the faithful and the unfaithful alike. And yet, in His mind, all He thinks about is our redemption and the forgiveness that can be ours. So in love with us that he prays: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Over the next week, may we take some time and reflect upon this great act of love. May we truly offer thanksgiving to God for being called His beloved sons and daughters.