December 2004

Christmas is drawing near, the Lord is about to come in our midst, and the liturgical readings invite us to prepare his way.
He, who entered into the story of humanity two thousand years ago, now wants to enter into our lives, but the way to us is full of obstacles. We need to clear away the little mountains within us, to remove the boulders that may stand in his way. What are these obstacles that can be roadblocks for Jesus?
They are all the desires that may spring up within us that are not in conformity with the will of God, the attachments that can take over and lead us either to talk or to remain silent when we should do otherwise, to build ourselves up, to want others to notice us, to want to receive undue affection. These roadblocks include our longings for material things, for improved health, even for life when God does not will these things or more menacing desires that push us towards rebellion, that lead us to judge and to seek revenge.
These desires can even possess us at times, and instead we have to conquer them. We must remove these obstacles by seeking to do God’s will so that we can prepare the way of the Lord.

«As the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do»

Paul directs these words to the Christians of his community people who have experienced God’s forgiveness and can now forgive those who have wronged them. He knows that they are capable of going beyond the natural limits of love, to the point of even being ready to give their lives for their enemies. Having been made new by Jesus and the words of the Gospel, they find the strength to move beyond human reasoning and human failings in order to build unity with everyone.
But love lives within the heart of every person and thus everyone can put these words into practice.
An African proverb wisely says: “Do as the palm tree does: they throw stones at her and she throws back her sweet dates.”
It is not enough, therefore, to refrain from responding to an accusation or an insult. We are asked to do more, to do good to those who hurt us, as the apostles remind us: “Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing” (1Pt 3:9), “Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good” (Rom 12:21).

«As the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do»

How can we put this word of life into practice?
We all have relatives, schoolmates, colleagues, and friends who at one time or another have hurt us, wrongly judged our actions, or done something against us.
We may feel the urge to get even with at them, we may be tempted to hold a grudge, or we may feel hostile or bitter, or choose to completely ignore them. These feelings get in the way of our having a true relationship of mutual exchange.
What then should we do?
Let’s get up in the morning with full “amnesty” in our hearts, with that love that overlooks everything, that knows how to accept the others as they are with all their shortcomings and difficulties — just as a mother would do with her own child who makes a mistake. She is always ready to find an excuse for him, always ready to forgive, and always hoping for what’s best for him.
Let us approach each person, seeing him or her with new eyes, as though he or she had never made any mistakes.
Let us begin again each time; knowing that God not only forgives but in his eyes our error is completely cancelled out. He asks us to treat others the same way.

«As the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do»

This is what happened to one of our friends. When his country was at war he saw his parents, his siblings, and his friends massacred right in front of him. His shock and suffering drove him to rebellion. He wished that the perpetrators would be punished as severely as the crime they committed.
Jesus’ words on the need for forgiveness kept coming back to him, but they seemed impossible to put into practice. “How can I love my enemies?” he asked himself. It took him several months and much prayer to find even a little inner peace.
A year later when he discovered who the assassins were and that they were roaming around freely, he once again felt overwhelmed by bitterness. He became preoccupied by thoughts of how he would react if he were to meet those “enemies.” In such inner turmoil, he asked God once again to soothe his pain and give him the strength to forgive.
“Helped by the example of my friends with whom I tried to live the Gospel,” he recounted, “I understood that I should not focus on those bitter thoughts, but instead I had to put all my energy into loving the people next to me – my colleagues, my friends, and whoever was there. By loving each person concretely day by day, I slowly found the strength to forgive with my whole heart those who had killed my family members. Today, I have peace in my heart.”

Chiara Lubich