forgiveness

September 2, 2018

Most of us enjoy a wonderful life in our little city. And along with the blessings some of us also, to one degree or another, lose some heart from time to time. Some of us have gone through or are going through significant challenges.

I once saw a church sign that read: "Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always."

These personal battles may be large or small, frequent or rare, but they are real and can be discouraging.

At one point in the Sacrament of Confirmation, the bishop turns the back of his hand to the candidate and lightly touches their cheek with two fingers. This is symbolic of the need of the candidate to be prepared to meet the blows of life, but that the Lord's peace will always follow and protect.

Renewal of Heart is for those who have lost heart to the inevitable blows of life.

Today's collect says that God, through loving-kindness, has established a ministry of reconciliation. A process we can trust that will lift us out of the misery and back onto the path of happiness and joy – even the Kingdom of Heaven – on Earth preferably, and in our time preferably.

Sometimes people get the idea that we teach that there is no such thing as sin. That's not exactly right. It is just that The Liberal Catholic Church does not teach the doctrine of Original Sin.

The word sin in the bible is a translation of the Greek word hamartiea. It means "to miss the mark in a game of archery". You can always take another shot. So sin is just a mistake.

We do make mistakes. We've been given free will, so it is possible for us to make choices which bring us results we do not want.

Most mistakes are not much to worry over. We try again and do better, or sometimes one step forward, two steps back. Our Confiteor prayer and Absolution early in the service, are usually enough to loosen the grip of this type of sin.

Actually hurting ourselves or others, voluntarily or involuntarily, is a mistake we should always treat seriously, and do whatever it takes to rectify or make amends. In some cases it may be a good idea to make an appointment for confession with any of our clergy to help unburden yourself and start making progress again.

But there is one mistake that is the most important. And ignoring it provides a weed garden for all the lesser mistakes. It is something that really holds us back from the heavenly joy that is our spiritual heritage, our birthright.

"Sin consists in disagreeing with God’s estimate of me and saying back to God, no I’m really nothing much to write home about. Sin is the failure to love ourselves as God loves us." Sebastian Moore, OSB Before the Deluge 1968

"What does sin do? It idolizes the ego at its present stage of development. Sin is our deep-seated refusal to grow."
Jesus: Liberator of Desire 1989, Let this Mind Be in You

(The refusal may be so deep seated that we may not realize that we are refusing. +Thomas)

(A cowardly imagination – I’ve lost sight of the one who invites me to the mark of love. M.P Gallagher)

"If there’s a devil, he has a factory, and he manufactures only one thing, and it works, and he gives it out for free, and we accept it. A negative magnifying glass. It magnifies the negatives on the page of your life, but prevents you from reading the rest of the page.

Put it away and read the whole page - with the negatives - but in the perspective of the whole." M.P. Gallagher

So reconciliation is coming around to God's view of His creation. To us it may appear to be a tall order – to deeply and truthfully forgive ourselves and ask God's forgiveness with honesty and deepest sincerity. But guess what? God desires nothing more than a giant forgiveness party.

And guess what? God will supply all the help we need. It is going to come anyway, eventually, whether we ask or not. Evolution is the direction of life. But if we ask, God's love and reconciliation cannot help but flow into us swiftly, with power and grace.