Pope at Audience: ‘We are
forgiven as we forgive others’
In his continuing catechesis on the Our Father at the
Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis reminds us that we are forgiven in the
measure with which we forgive those who trespass against us.
By Devin Watkins
Pope Francis reflected – at the weekly General Audience – on
the words of the Lord’s prayer: “as we forgive those who trespass against us”.
The Holy Father began by reminding the faithful in St.
Peter’s Square that everything we have, even our very existence, is a gift from
God.
“Our life was not only willed by God,” he said, “but was
loved by God.”
He said there is no space in the Church for “self-made men”,
because we are all indebted to God. But, he said, we often leave out the words
“thank you” when we pray, as if forgetting that we owe all to God who forgives
us when we go astray.
Extend God’s forgiveness to all
Pope Francis said Jesus intentionally added a second part to
the petition “Forgive us our trespasses”, which relates our being forgiven by
God to our forgiveness of others.
“The relationship of vertical benevolence on the part of God
is fractured,” said the Pope, “and is called to be transformed into a new
relationship that we live out with our brothers and sisters: a horizontal
relationship.”
He said God is always willing to forgive “the sins of those
who are well disposed and ask to be embraced again.”
Forgiven as I forgive
But, said Pope Francis, “God’s abundant grace is always
demanding.”
“Those who have received so much must learn to give as much,
without holding some back for themselves,” he said.
Pope Francis then told a story of a priest he knew who went
to hear the Confession of a lady who was on her deathbed.
The priest, he said, asked her if she repented of all her
sins. Yes was her answer.
Then, the Pope said, the priest asked her: “‘Do you forgive
others?’ And the lady, at the point of death, said: ‘No.’ The priest was
distressed. If you do not forgive, God will not forgive you.”
If we have problems forgiving others, said Pope Francis, we
need to ask the Lord to help us to forgive.
Forgiveness stops spread of evil
Pope Francis noted that Jesus inserts the power of
forgiveness into human relationships, saying it fills the gap left by justice
in the world.
“Not everything in life is resolved by justice. Especially
where it is necessary to put a stop to evil, someone must love beyond what is
necessary, in order to restart a story of grace. Evil knows how to take
revenge, and, if we do not interrupt it, [evil] risks spreading, suffocating
the whole world.”
So, Pope Francis concluded, this Easter week is an
opportunity to offer others the most precious gift we have received:
forgiveness.
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