Christians and Forgiveness
“God Asked 'What is forgiveness?' A little girl gave a lovely reply: 'It is the wonderful fruit that a tree gives when it is being hurt by a stone'. ……” What is quoted here is something which though may look quite simple, is indeed equally subtle with its deep and inherent meaning of a universal message for the whole of mankind for its very survival. No revenge and no tit for tat, and that is all the message contained in these words for you even if you are hurt by someone, and hurt very grievously, and on the other hand you should reward him with your loving forgiveness for the pain he causes to you. Of course, it may look quite illogical, but that is how the very idea of forgiveness operates. Tit for tat makes it worse, and no action, takes it back to a position of “status quo ante.” It is only forgiving, forgetting and then rewarding, indeed makes the world move forward in spite of all the setbacks to which it is constantly exposed. That is the healing process which the very Creator Himself has ingrained into it.

A deep analysis of the entire universe would perhaps make it abundantly clear. Also, it is a positive note of reminding all that forgiveness is an ever healing balm to all the hurts and pains inflicted on ourselves and upon others, deliberately or by accident, in the process of an inevitable struggle for our very survival in this planet. The very purpose of the creation of this universe and a man in one of its planets, is to enable that man into an ultimate stage or state as a child of that Creator, and make him see and understand the whole of creation and see that Creator face to face. And for that, we need to employ this great truth, the truth of forgiveness, again and again, and do the necessary work of reparation in order to rectify our waywardness and be on the track again fit and healthy, defective and sinful as we are. If, otherwise, we continue to keep sticking to the good old practice of “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” the entire world would end up ultimately not only toothless but also totally blind.
For Christians the mandate is quite clear. In the parable of the unforgiving servant (Mathew, 18: 21-22), in reply to Peter's question as to how many times he should forgive his brother, and whether it is enough if he forgave him only seven times, Jesus gives a very candid reply. Jesus tells Peter, “No, not seven times, but, seventy times seven,” which actually means a numberless times, without any limit. This is a sort of a guideline as laid down for us by our Creator from the very beginning of His Creation. The fifth Beatitude, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” also expresses this fact. This attitude of the Christian is really one of forgiveness and of outgoing love. We give to others what we ourselves have received from God. In this we follow Christ who came “not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved” (John 3:17).
Another parable of Jesus of the unforgiving debtor (Mathew 18: 23-35), who was excused payment of a fortune by his master but enforced payment of a few pennies from a fellow servant, illustrates the horror of our reluctance to forgive.
God will judge us in the way we share his mercy with others: “If you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours, but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either” (Mathew 6:14-15). Our forgiveness must go so far as to win back those who have strayed, as Christ the Good Shepherd, seeks out the lost sheep, joyfully takes it on his shoulders, and invites all to rejoice. In this way, those who show mercy will have mercy shown to them. In each of us there is a great deal of goodness, a large area of “white” in us. And yet, the first thing we see in another's character is the blemish, the “little black spot.” But we cannot show mercy if we have not learned to experience God's mercy with ourselves. So, often we allow the memory of our past sins always to weigh us down. And by the improper and often unnecessary use of words, we magnify such little black spots out of all proportion, thereby also destroying the character of other people. After dwelling upon the incident at length and the appropriate analysis of its entire background, forgiving and then forgetting the whole episode, however difficult it might look, is the only way before us in this 21st century, after the frightful stockpiling of nuclear weapons of mass destruction by many a powerful country in the world today.
Now, it is in this context in our country that we should start looking at all that has been happening to the Christians, their properties, their places of worship and also to their means of livelihood and perhaps to their very existence. No doubt terrible things have happened in Kandhamal in Orissa, and in many other places in the country, and are still happening almost every day in some part of the country or the other. It is perhaps here, in these terrible and painful contexts that we, as Christians, are put to the real tests again and again, whether or not we are able to show our other cheek and love those who hate us. Those who hate us do that perhaps because of their ignorance or of their misplaced hatred which has blinded them. But we as Christians must always love them because they are the children of the same Heavenly Father. In Mathew 5: 43-45, we have Christ's own words, “You haveheard that it was said, 'Love your friends, hate your enemies. But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may become the sons of your Father in heaven....” In Mathew 6, Jesus teaches His disciples “The Lord's Prayer” in which it is said, “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.” Can any Christian ever forget the unforgettable words of Christ from the cross, looking at the strange ways in which the Jews were behaving on Calvary, clamouring for his blood? He says, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34)
But then the equally relevant point for all of us Christians is, can one forgive if his heart is filled with hatred and vengeance because of the terrible sufferings he was subjected to? Yes, still he must forgive. This forgiving nature must begin and grow primarily with oneself first, and then it must extend itself slowly to one's own near and dear ones. The next stage is the real stage of a breakthrough, the breaking out of one's own primordial loyalties, the loyalty to one's own religion, caste, creed, colour, culture, language and region. In the days gone by, these primordial loyalties may have had their roles in the very survival of a race or a group of people in a given situation or a circumstance. But today this becomes a stumbling block as things have changed, and the ghetto mentality won't help in living a peaceful and harmonious life. The popular dictum now is: “Live and let live,” and one must also strictly adhere to it with utmost care and concern. One praiseworthy instance is the way in which more than hundred widows in Kandhamal have borne themselves as a living testimony to Christian Forebarance and Forgiveness for the last three years.Perhaps equally proud factor for us Christians is that during most of these attacks, these incidents of persecution of Christians during the last several years in India, our brethren have always displayed great restraint, which, in turn have brought in great dividends by way of more believers. It is this love for our brother Indians which needs to be inculcated with the love of Christ and of the fellow human beings as a whole, which motivates all our evangelists to share the Good News with all and liberate them from their bondage of hate and revenge.
A recent message by the present pope, Pope Benedict XVI may be very relevant here. It also reiterates that Christians must bear witness to the Gospel, despite persecution. He was welcoming the participants to the General Assembly of the Pontifical Mission Society (PMS) in Rome last month. He emphasized that in our age, the Church cannot avoid “explicitly” proclaiming its faith and pursuing its action for the advent of the Kingdom of God, a “Kingdom of justice, peace and freedom.” Addressing the prelates from India led by Cardinal Telesphore Toppo from Ranchi, the Pope also said that the Christian commitment to live and to bear witness to the Gospel has distinct challenges in every time and place, and that this is certainly true of India which is home to various ancient religions, including Christianity. Christian life, he said, in multi-religious societies always demands honesty and sincerity about one's own beliefs, and respect for those of one's neighbour. The presentation of the Gospel in such circumstances, therefore, involves the delicate process of inculturation. This process of inculturation, he said, requires that the priests, the religious and the lay catechists, carefully employ the language and appropriate customs of the people they serve in presenting the Good News.
In a nutshell, can any Christian ever forget what Christ has taught us through his disciples, “a new command I give you: 'Love one another. As I have loved you, so must you love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35). The one characteristic that puts us all apart, bearing testimony to the world at large, about the reality of the Christian faith, is the brotherly love. It is not right doctrine, nor denominational creeds, nor persuasive preaching, nor impressive sanctuaries, nor even our elaborate social programmes, nor vast numbers, though all these may have their own significance in the given contexts, but only genuine and discernible love between believers that makes us distinct from the rest of the world. Therefore, where there is love, there is bound to be forgiveness. And that indeed is the real Christian forgiveness.
Dr Sajan K George
National President
Global Council of Indian Christians(GCIC)

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