Fifth Sunday of Lent - April 3, 2022

Isaiah 43:16-21     Philippians 3:8-14     John 8:1-11

As I started reading through all of today’s Scriptures, I was struck by the words forget and remember not, and was immediately curious with the idea that dismissing or shutting out the past is how God wants us to focus on the future. But as I ended today’s Gospel, I realized the reading was telling me that creating something new, something better, isn’t about forgetting; it’s about forgiving. And we can’t forgive what we choose to forget. 

When we confess our sins at Mass and recite “…what I have done and what I have failed to do,” we are invited to recall our past in search of forgiveness. Like all of us, I have made my own mistakes – big and small – that weigh on my mind. But it’s that latter part that always gives me pause, what I failed to do. The moments I didn’t speak up or out or for a person or a cause that needed me. These were more often the quieter moments of my life, easy to forget or overlook because perhaps at the time I was even unaware of the consequences of my inaction. I needed time itself to pass before I could properly reflect and remember.

I am grateful to be reminded to explore my past because it does us no good to be blind to our truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. By acknowledging where we’ve been, we have the chance to be called to give or receive forgiveness. In giving, we help lighten the burden of another. In seeking, we have the hope someone else can grant us a new beginning.

Forgiveness isn’t always easy. That’s one of the things that makes it so powerful. It involves a sacrifice of pride, a concession of power, an acknowledgement of our past. But above all, God’s forgiveness shows it’s never too late to right a wrong and build a better future. 

Q: What have I failed to do that I seek  forgiveness for?