Disciples of Peace and Forgiveness

2^nd Sunday of Easter A

John.20:19-31

I believe forgiveness is one of the most urgent issues that needs to be addressed. Since we are persons with feelings we are fragile and vulnerable, we are always sensitive to the way other people treat us. We want them to handle us with care. Our every thought and action is always motivated by the powerful question, “Do you love me?” We want to feel loved. We want to be affirmed. We want to be cared for. We want to feel important. We want others to be sensitive to our feelings. However, there will always be failures and shortcomings. Our desire to be loved always remains unsatisfied. Others cannot always love us the way we want to be loved. Perhaps their way of loving is not our way of being loved. This can bring much hurt to us. The build up of hurts and pains can turn into hatred, and the presence of hatred in our heart is dangerous. It does not only take away our peace but also incites us to violence. Our unforgiving heart is not so much affecting the people who hurt us as it is robbing us of a joyful and peaceful life. As one poet said: 

When we hate our enemies, we give them power over us.

Power over our sleep. Power over our health.

Power over our peace of mind. Our enemies would dance for joy

If they knew how our hatred was killing us.

But not hurting them in the least. (Anonymous)

What we want is peace not violence. Peace begins with the self. There is no peace in an angry heart. If we truly desire peace, hatred should end with us. The way to end the hatred is by means of forgiving. Forgiveness brings healing; it gives peace, which is Jesus’ gift to us. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to transform us to become disciples of peace and forgiveness. Without the Holy Spirit, forgiveness is not an easy thing to do. Larsen said that forgiveness is first of all a spiritual phenomenon. According to him, the spiritual dimension comes ahead of all else because it’s totally possible to know and understand every rational aspect of forgiveness and still not be able to do it. The Holy Spirit empowers us to forgive and makes us gentle, caring and compassionate like Jesus. The world desperately needs disciples of peace and forgiveness.                       

                                                   

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE." 

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one, who had been slapped, got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After the friend recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE."     

           

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?" The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."           

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND, AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE  

               

The Lord has given us His Spirit to transform us to become disciples of peace and forgiveness. He has given us opportunity to become like Him to our wrongdoers, transgressors, and offenders.