2nd Sunday of Easter 7 April 2024 Sermon

 2nd Sunday of Easter 7 April 2024 Forgiving love

Whose sins you retain they are retained (Jn 20,22-23). Just about any sin can be absolved, provided there is a sufficient degree of contrition on the part of the penitent.

For His part, God wants to forgive sins, far more than to have to punish the sins. He would much rather the wicked man repent than die (Ez 33,11).

God loves us, we know. Forgiveness is love taken to its furthest reaches. There is giving and there is for-giving, an extra layer of giving.

Jesus taught that when we have a feast we should invite people who will not return the invitation (Lk 14,13-14), as this is an expression of the sort of thing He Himself does. He gives to people who will not be able to repay Him – which turns out to be the whole human race.

Take that further still – can we still give to those who are not only ungrateful but positively abusive in return. This was Jesus’ experience. He was not just rejected but insulted and treated brutally.

Is that going to exhaust God's patience? No, because Jesus says from the Cross, Father, forgive them, they know not what they do  (Lk 23,34).

Knowing this we then have to respond. Are we going to treat the Son of God like that first generation did?

Or are we going to set out in another direction, cooperating with Divine Mercy, to the point that we are not only forgiven of our sin, but changed within so that we no longer have any attachment to sin?

God has made His position clear, through the Sacred Heart revelation, and more recently Divine Mercy.

These two devotions are both based on the infinite charity and mercy of God, and of how we can position ourselves to be more grateful, humble, and cooperative.

We then become Christ-like, as we extend mercy to those around us; willing to forgive others because we have been forgiven (cf parable of two debtors Lk 7,36-50).

There are two stages to full reconciliation with God: one, forgiveness of sin; two, renewal of character so that we no longer want to sin, or to give it any place in our lives.

It is easy to be forgiven; much harder to work that forgiveness into our own hearts and minds. It usually hurts to change the way we have been doing something, to do it another way - but it is worth it.

Sin can be addictive and therefore hard to give it up just like that. But it can be done with supernatural help.

And if we fall again in the same area, can we still show our face? Of course, yes, because God will forgive any relapse or false turning, provided there is true contrition.

God loves us with infinite love; it is our love for Him that must increase. It will increase when we digest what He has done for us, and how much He has already given.

When we love God it becomes natural to avoid offending Him, and to exert ourselves in trying to please Him.

This is a new freedom we are offered. All my life my desires have been telling me what to do; now I will tell them how they must take their proper place.

The right things to desire will become clear, and they will be the things of God (Col 3,2).

Today there is a concerted desire to ask for Divine Mercy, for ourselves, our loved ones, and people in general.

We do not despair of receiving God's mercy.

Nor do we begrudge that mercy to others (such as the older brother did, Lk 15, 28-30).

We can all make it to the heavenly banquet, full union with God, in this life as in the next. If we keep praying for it.