Faith, Forgiveness, Healing and Joy
(Zeph 3:14-18; Ps 33; Lk 1:39-45)
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“The Lord has taken away the judgements against you, he has turned away your enemies.”
Those words, a repeat of the first reading from the third Sunday of Advent, along with the gospel account of the Visitation, hint at the way our faith becomes a source of joy.
“The Lord has taken away judgements” suggest forgiveness, while “he has turned away your enemies” suggests healing. So as early as the time of the prophet Zephaniah, the mission of the future Messiah – to redeem and to sanctify – was being suggested. To redeem is to forgive, and to sanctify is to heal, so Jesus as the Messiah came to forgive us all our sins, and also to heal us of our sinfulness, that which makes us sin.
In both the Old and New Testaments, how God forgives is described – God will cast our sins as far as the East is from the West (Psalm 103:12) and not even remember them (Hebrews 8:12). Now that is forgiveness – if God doesn’t even remember our sins, they no longer exist. Why, then, do we find it so hard to forgive ourselves, or to believe we are truly forgiven? A person in his mid-eighties recently shared with me his struggle to let go of sins of a sexual nature he had committed forty years earlier, and confessed numerous times. I hope learning that God doesn’t even remember those sins will help him to let them go and forgive himself.
With divine wisdom, God knows forgiveness is only half the story – we also need healing for our sinfulness, that which makes us sin, or we will just start all over again and fill up the slate. Our sinfulness is our painful emotions like anger, resentment and bitterness – these are not our fault – they just are, but need to be addressed and healed. It is also our defects of character and negative attitudes such as false pride, stubborn self-will, self-righteousness, tendency to judge, need for power and control. Again, these are not our fault nor are they sins – we need healing for these or we will act out of these deeply buried realities in our lives and commit sinful, hurtful acts. This is the Good News of our faith – we can be forgiven all our sins and healed of all that leads us to sin. That is the role of Jesus as Messiah, to redeem and sanctify. All we need to do is be humble, acknowledge our need for both, and come to him for that forgiveness and healing so freely given.
It all began with the visit of Mary to Elizabeth, and the spiritual nature of that encounter. The Good News of the Incarnation, the Word become flesh from Mary, was so great that the cousin of Jesus, John the Baptist, leapt for joy when Mary came into the room. John recognized the infant Messiah even when in his mother’s womb. Not only that, Elizabeth exults for joy as she recognizes Mary as the mother of her Lord, so Elizabeth also recognizes Jesus as the unborn infant Messiah. Their mutual joy at this marvellous working of God in such a humble, invisible way in both their lives knows no bounds, nor should it.
Helen Gledhow sent me a reflection she receives each day from a Pastor Steve that captures well this moment:
Two expecting mothers share a bond,
the recognition of the altered balance,
the spherical spirit, the parallel gaze,
companionship on a hard, bright path,
the magnificent power of giving life
that others can only surmise.
And yet that gaze, that bond, that power,
is yours.
We have too many religions of gods in clouds.
God does not enter the world from the stratosphere.
God enters from within, in each of us,
not might or magic, but in love.
Mary’s genius was her insight
that the divine, the world-changing Holy,
emerges from us like a newborn child.
I bear it. You bear it. It’s who we are.
The Beloved begs us to feel for the leap in us,
the divine child in us that knows
its sibling in another, that knows
we are connected in our power to give life.
Behold that in yourself, feel for the leap,
and know the bond that makes of all humanity,
all living creatures, one blessed womb.
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
The Eucharist is akin to a visitation – Jesus, Messiah and Lord of all creation, comes to us humbly through the Liturgy of the Word, and as we receive his very body and blood given up for us on the wood of the manger turned into the wood of the cross.
May our celebration deepen our faith in Jesus as Messiah and Lord, open us up to humbly receive his forgiveness and healing, and fill us with the same joy Mary and Elizabeth experienced.
Once we believe and trust God then all of our sins and faults will be forgiven. It does not matter if we still have faults because God has forgotten our sins like it does not exist. We should be joyful and happy we will not be tempted for sins or tempted by the evil spirits to sin against God. On the other hand, we are healed by God when he had forgiven us from his heart. He wants us to repent and show our love to people by learning how to love one another as we love ourselves. Letting go of the past with anger, bitterness, stubbornness and resentments that had been hidden inside us for a long time. We should be sinless and pure so we can be closer to Jesus Christ. We should have full faith by putting ourselves in Jesus’ hands as he will lead us to joy and happiness in this new journey once again. Just like Mary and Elizabeth bearing our child that is from God. They felt the excitement and glory rising because they are being expectant mothers for the first time . We are to feel the joy and happiness as the Jesus is about to melt our hearts. Amen
Well thanks for the homily and messages about reaching for joy as we have forgiveness and healed from our sins. We should be sinless just as God has no judgement over us and the sins that we committed does not exist. He has forgotten our sins and faults. . Rejoice! Alleluia! Thanks Bishop Sylvain for pictures and teachings. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in 2019. May God Bless You!