The Sisters Of the Visitation of Tyringham

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THE SACRED HEART: A FORGIVING HEART

by Sr. Miriam Rose

February 2007

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In February we are still in winter darkness and barrenness; but liturgically we have experienced the birth of the Light of the World, and on February 2nd that light was presented in the temple, a boy-child who is the Lord, consecrated to the Father. This feast reminds us that light and warmth come into our lives when we open our hearts, give of ourselves, consecrate our actions to the Lord.

In a few short weeks, we will begin the period of Lent, reliving the Passion and death of the Lord and reflecting on our own needs for deeper commitment in our Christian lives. These days between the two liturgical seasons allow us to consider how we might prepare ourselves, to "clean house" so to speak, by looking at the theme of forgiveness; for out of the barrenness of hurt and isolation can shine the healing light of a forgiving heart.

Recently there have been a number of events that bring to mind this theme of forgiveness: the giving and the receiving. These were very powerful incidents that have had much influence as they are told and re-told. Not long ago, we witnessed the deeply tragic deaths of the Amish children and watch ed as the Amish community responded with compassion and forgiveness, even in the midst of their own sorrow. Their own commitment to God's commandment to love one another required no second thoughts. They reached out to the widow and shared in her pain. The decision to pull down the school building and build anew, rather than memorialize the tragedy allowed them to move forward toward eventual healing.

Other tragic incidents within the past few years can also illustrate overwhelming generosity of heart. In a recent book entitled LEFT TO TELL, a Rwandan woman named Immaculee describes the horrific killings of the Tutsi people including her entire family, except one brother who was out of the country at the time. She herself was hidden with seven other women in a small bathroom for 3 months, while the killers hunted for her; yet ultimately, because of her deep faith, she traveled the road to complete forgiveness, even looking the man in the face who had murdered her mother and one brother. This man was such a pitiful sight that Immaculee could not help but feel compassion and say the words: "I forgive you."  This woman certainly illustrates what Gandhi once said: "Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."  Forgiveness often begins with compassion: being able to see the suffering in another and desiring to alleviate it, even while one's own suffering may be great. It is only by loving the other that one's self actually emerges. And forgiveness is at the heart of that.

Another surviving victim of the genocide named Janette found herself the sole survivor of her family in her village. She had no desire to communicate with anyone; everyone else was the enemy. Janette remained isolated. Ironically, She was not economically bereft, she had inherited the coffee fields of her father, brother, and uncle. She chose to work these fields alone. It was back breaking work, but she was able to support herself in ways over and above the other villagers. However, a day came when she knew that she would need help. She did not want to have to ask for it, but she finally began hiring men in need of work, one of whom was implicated in the killing of her husband. A reporter asked how she could hire this man. She could barely look at him when he came to work.  Her response was: "Look at how he lives; no one should have to live like that." She had not yet come to forgiveness, but compassion was stirring in her heart, even in the midst of her own overwhelming pain.

There are many more incidents that can be cited. Pope John Paul II forgave the man who tried to kill him and later at the Millennium, asked us all to forgive past hurts. It was a beautiful experience to read of the many Bishops throughout the world who spoke in the name of the Church and its people, asking humbly for forgiveness.

As Immaculee struggled with her grief and pain, she constantly prayed that God would give her the strength to survive and finally to triumph, not just by being a 'winner', but by being able to close the circle, to return to her self again, whole and forgiving. Only when we are able to accept willingly the love of God and acknowledge our need, can we then follow through with the forgiveness of others.

Jesus in the Sacred Heart incarnates God's unconditional love and forgiveness. With his whole person and all through his life, especially in his 'hour' when he dies on the cross, Jesus let us know and experience that his forgiveness is without limits and his love excludes no one. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Forgiveness breaks the circle of viciousness and hatred; it leads us back to the Father, into the circle of love.  The circle can only be completed by our choosing, but our asking to be brought back whenever we see that we have strayed along the wrong path.

It is more than just a simple circle. As we come around again, we are actually in a spiral; we come back to the place we left, but on a higher plane. As someone once said:  "We come back to the place where we startedbut see it for the first time."  After the pain of a trespass in our lives, when we finally are ready to forgive or accept forgiveness, we have carried the experience of the situation with us. We are not the same person, but one who has passed through a growth experience on to a new level. There can be a 'burning' in asking for forgiveness; a purifying that requires humility, but it burns off the dross and the rust. The Truth is then revealed to both parties. Forgiveness is the great YES: to reality, to the other who is brother/sister, to life in relationship to the other.

The ultimate experience of forgiveness brings a change of heart, a  "metanoia" of the spirit, after which every seeming injury, injustice, rejection, past, present or future, every so-called blow of fate, becomes, as it were, an essential note in the music of God, however discordant it may sound to our superficial hearing.

The ultimate experience of forgiveness brings a change of heart, a  "metanoia" of the spirit, after which every seeming injury, injustice, rejection, past, present or future, every so-called blow of fate, becomes, as it were, an essential note in the music of God, however discordant it may sound to our superficial hearing.

Henri Nouwen writes:  "God's forgiveness is unconditional; it comes from a heart that does not demand anything for itself, a heart that is completely empty of self-seeking. It is this divine forgiveness that I have to practice in my daily life." Forgiveness has to admit and rage over and weep over a real evil and then say, however, "We are going to live in communion, one with another. We are going to carry on."  We are all sinners, living like other sinners, and so 'seventy-times-seven' times a day we must re-establish the communion, and want to do so. The desire is the main thing, and the feeling that it is of value. Not only do we need to forgive others and accept forgiveness, but we must be able to forgive ourselves as well.  Forgiving oneself means accepting forgiveness from God and from other people.  Forgiveness is the completion of love. It implies a willingness to suffer from the other person without writing him/her off. Dag Hammarskjold wrote: "Forgiveness breaks the chain of causality."  Without forgiveness, our world is losing its human face and the reflection of its Creator. In forgiveness, love reaches its utmost purity, depth, and strength; and in this way, forgiveness generates new life. Let God be God!

The Sacred Heart absorbs our pain, uncertainties; when love is absolute, one can trust and therefore let go and forgive. He is most divine in forgiving. We participate in this divine action when we are able to forgive others, whether the situation is a personal one, or on a larger, worldwide scale.

The Sacred Heart absorbs our pain, uncertainties; when love is absolute, one can trust and therefore let go and forgive. He is most divine in forgiving. We participate in this divine action when we are able to forgive others, whether the situation is a personal one, or on a larger, worldwide scale.

A Polish Archbishop had collaborated with the secret service and the former Communist government. During the rule of the Communist government, the Church was actively watched and suppressed. Many felt that some cooperation with this government would possibly lessen harsh treatment. According to documents from that government, the Archbishop had given some help in naming those who were not cooperating with government policies.

Here is a situation that is not clear-cut; one that probably will not be totally clarified and resolved. Living under a repressive regime causes everyone to make choices that, at the time seem to be the best. But because the situation is so divisive, one's best intentions can easily go astray or be manipulated. How do we treat such a situation?

In a Memorandum Concerning The Collaboration of Some Clergy with The Secret Service in Poland in The Years 1944-1989, issued by the Bishops of Poland, it was stated: "For 2,000 years the Church has opposed the evil in an evangelical way, which does not destroy the dignity of another man. The truth about the sin should lead a Christian to a personal acknowledgment of guilt, to contrition, to a confession of the guilt and even a public confession, if need be, then to repentance and satisfaction. We cannot abandon such an evangelical way of confronting the evil.  The Church of Christ is a community of reconciliation, forgiveness and mercy. Inside her there is a place for every sinner, who wishes to reform, as Peter did, and despite their weaknesses wants to serve the cause of the Gospel."

In a Memorandum Concerning The Collaboration of Some Clergy with The Secret Service in Poland in The Years 1944-1989, issued by the Bishops of Poland, it was stated: "For 2,000 years the Church has opposed the evil in an evangelical way, which does not destroy the dignity of another man. The truth about the sin should lead a Christian to a personal acknowledgment of guilt, to contrition, to a confession of the guilt and even a public confession, if need be, then to repentance and satisfaction. We cannot abandon such an evangelical way of confronting the evil.  The Church of Christ is a community of reconciliation, forgiveness and mercy. Inside her there is a place for every sinner, who wishes to reform, as Peter did, and despite their weaknesses wants to serve the cause of the Gospel."

Ash Wednesday has been declared a day of Repentance and Forgiveness for the Polish clergy. This will allow all to examine their own consciences and to pray for those who are in greatest need. Then, it is a time to forgive and put into the past all that had come to pass. It is then time to close the circle and move to the higher plane of the spiral, recognizing the weakness of human nature and the desire for good that all have basically expressed.

We come from the Heart of God through the Heart of Christ our Savior who saw each of us as another self and died for us. Because of that intimate, identifying love, since He was like us in all save sin, He has forgiven us. He brings us back to the Father through His own Heart. We must go and do likewise.

I received recently this beautiful message on a Christmas card:

As Angels sang of heaven's joy
At the birth of Christ the Savior
So the heavens rejoice each time
We act as savior by healing each other
With love, pardon and peace.
Edward Hays

This presentation was given at the Monastery of the Visitation of Tyringham, MA on Thursday February 1, 2007

God be Praised