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Forgiveness: A Part of Top-side Resurrection
Luke 9:53-56
They came to a Samaritan village to make arrangements for his hospitality. But when the Samaritans learned that his destination was Jerusalem, they refused hospitality. When the disciples James and John learned of it, they said, “Master, do you want us to call a bolt of lightning down out of the sky and incinerate them?” Jesus turned on them: “Of course not!” And they traveled on to another village.
Dear Greatly Beloved,
Happy Easter! As we continue to watch the news, full of wars raging, families dying, amid poverty and hunger spreading, it’s natural to feel stressed. It’s human to know rage and fear. And for us as Christians, it is also necessary to enter forgiveness, so that we can pray for all. This isn’t a ‘both sides’ equivocation; it’s a ‘love all’ action of contemplation. It matters, how we respond and receive news of what’s going on in our local community, in the wider Church, and in the world. Our response is the difference between life-giving openness to reconciliation, and the spread of death-dealing division. It’s the difference between the resuscitation of our senses and actions of empathy and compassion, and the killing fields of wild fear and immobilizing despair. It’s a choice we have to make, top-side acts of resurrection in partnership with God, or my-four-and-no-more isolation and insulation, narrowing the vision of who is worthy of consideration and care. This, siblings in Christ, is darn hard work! It’s nothing less than forgiveness and reconciliation in the face of our own, anger, fear, and pain.
To be clear, there’s a difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. The latter is not required for the presence of the former. (Sometimes, the latter isn’t even possible, in the case of death, or in view of safety concerns.)
Reconciliation, which at its heart is relationship restoration, first requires repentance, or rather, the knowledge of what was done wrong and the commitment to do right moving forward. This process takes two, one person who has had time to tend their wounds and BE READY to forgive, and the other who has had time learn, grow, and discover new ways to move in the world, through repentance and re-creation. And because it takes two, it’s not always possible. And if only one is willing or ready, it’s not even advisable. (Yay, healthy boundaries!)
Forgiveness, on the other hand, is a release of our offender to the hands of God. It’s where we give up hope of revenge, all pettiness and/or punitive behavior (sniping, silent treatment, snide comments bringing up the wrongdoing at every opportunity, etc.) Forgiveness isn’t a feeling, it’s not forgetting or excusing the wrong done, nor is it pretending nothing hurtful happened. Forgiveness DOES NOT require the release of hope for justice being done, especially in cases of ongoing danger, degradation and oppression. Sometimes, forgiveness is something we CANNOT do without the help if a professional, like a therapist and/or spiritual director. And none of it can be done without the power if the Spirit of God.
But that’s the good news, that we don’t have to do this solely under our own power! Because I confess, as I see students arrested, see gerrymandering and modern-day redlining…as I watch genocide happening, political posturing, works of corruption, I want what the disciples wanted, immediate retribution in my say-so as judge and jury, with God as co-signing executioner. It’s a daily temptation, since in the case of systemic and political ills, we’re often tasked with forgiving people we’ve never personally met, but whose decisions, power, and actions directly (and sometimes very adversely) effect our lives, or the lives of those whom we love.
But with God’s help, we can forgive, healing ourselves and the world, as we continue to work for justice, for equality, for the dignity of all. That’s top-side resurrection, and it’s a great job to have.
Much love,
Mother Nikki
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