Be Forgiven, and Forgive
Reflections on insight, blindness, and forgiveness based on today's readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081326.cfm
“they have eyes to see but do not see,
and ears to hear but do not hear,
for they are a rebellious house.”
By connecting their inability to understand with their rebellion, Ezekiel is effectively stating that suspicion and resistance do not lead to spiritual insight but to blindness. Trust, instead, opens us to true understanding.
But the problem is that those with the least spiritual insight are often the least aware of their deficiency. The prophet, in this case Ezekiel, is not only instructed to make the connection between spiritual blindness and rebellion, but also to tell the people that they are spiritually blind and rebellious. So often, those who are most lost are the least aware of it and thus miss the message of the Lord when it is sent their way simply because they do not believe it applies to them.
It is also why demonstrations and physical manifestations of the Lord’s teachings can be so important. Christ, of course, uses many images through which He teaches and performs wonders by which He makes His teachings known.
As for the prophets, Ezekiel teaches by way of demonstration more than almost any other. His example of representing, through the way he lives his life, the message that God has delivered to him serves as a powerful example for us. Sometimes the most effective way for us to spread the message we are called to spread to those we love is through our actions rather than our words. Many times, this communicates the truth much more effectively.
When it comes to the teaching from today’s Gospel, this is especially the case. Christ teaches in extreme terms the demands of forgiveness He places upon us. For many Christians, it can be tempting to impose these demands upon others. But perhaps the most effective way to teach others the power of forgiveness is to be radically forgiving ourselves.
In fact, even more than this, perhaps recognizing how much one has been forgiven—both by God and by others—can reveal this power. It is certainly a good thing to reach the point where one can truly say, “I forgive all for all.” Yet it is an even rarer and more blessed state to discover that one has been forgiven for all by the One who created all. Even more, it is a blessing to realize how deeply one has been in need of mercy from one’s brothers and sisters and how abundantly that mercy has been received.
The distinction between the two should not be too sharp or presented in a way that disconnects them. Truly, the more one recognizes one’s own need for forgiveness, the more forgiving one will be toward others. This is why Christ responds to the question of how many times we should forgive in the way that He does.
And, when done in sincerity, demonstrations of just how much we recognize our need for mercy can be quite powerful. This is one essential aspect of the Mass, but it is also an essential ingredient in every healthy relationship. There is no such thing as a thriving relationship in which one has not sincerely apologized to the other person.
Perfection is not the goal of a relationship, but a commitment to perpetual reconciliation is. And this commitment is demonstrated to the degree that one can recognize one’s own wrongs before the other rather than hold the other’s wrongs over their head.
May we all be models of this type of forgiveness and thus fulfill our prophetic mission.