Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

New DeSales World Newsletter - Summer Edition

5TH SUNDAY OF LENT (March 25, 2007)

Suggested Emphasis

“Neither do I condemn you. Go and from now on do not sin anymore.”

Salesian Perspective

Lent is about change: a change of heart, a change of focus, a time for purification. “Repent and live the Gospel” we are told. The Gospel story today is about the radical nature of divine forgiveness. Jesus forgives the adulterous woman even as he puts her on notice to avoid this sin from now on. He teaches us a lesson in divine mercy, compassion and fidelity.

Gospel teachings of Jesus are frequently categorized or grouped by many scholars. One that organizes his teachings into three great principals; love of God and neighbor, humility and forgiveness are especially Salesian in content. The forgiveness taught by Jesus defines no specific conditions when forgiveness is necessary. The requirement of forgiveness is rooted in the forgiveness of God. Knowledge of God’s forgiveness of sins provides both the motivation and the power to forgive others. Jesus does not string out rules of defining the precise conditions of forgiveness. Instead he teaches us by parables like last Sundays Prodigal Son. The perfect forgiveness of God is to be seen first as a divine act of God toward all people, and only then as a demand placed on us: “…and forgive us our sins as we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us…” (Luke 11:4)

Francis de Sales tells us to “judge with charity all that you see others doing. When that is not possible, excuse them and pray for them”, and “we must always judge as far as possible in favor of our neighbor. If one action could bear a hundred aspects we should always consider that which is the fairest (most favorable).”

In a past issue of the De Sales World through an article entitled Forgiveness: A Difficult Struggle, Father Richard De Lillio, OSFS, reminds us that we cannot wait for others to earn our forgiveness. “When we forgive, we experience a paschal moment rather than a terminal one. Paschal means treating this hurt as ‘a dying and rising moment.’ We don’t let it stop our life…..we seek new life. Forgiveness does this.”

Through the power of love, a gift of the Holy Spirit, we can bring our faith in each other to a compassionate fullness. We are responsible for seeing that our human family, the interconnected children of God, full of hurts, experiences more of the loving forgiveness that is written in our Gospels.

God’s mercy and compassion are everlasting to those who love God. How can we hope to imitate God’s boundless mercy? As we strive to Live Jesus, we endeavor to be transformed and take on His character. What would happen if we judged through the eyes of God?

David J. Herrington is the De Sales Spirituality Center’s Regional Director in Southwest Florida.

David J. Herrington is the De Sales Spirituality Center’s Regional Director in Southwest Florida.