IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY COLLEGE – PARAÑAQUE

Forming the character….Reforming the will….Transforming the heart!

PAASCU LEVEL II

Basic Education Department

CHRISTIAN LIVING 8
School Year 2020 – 2021

LESSON 4.2
Jesus and the Forgiveness of Sins

Forgiving is the act of being patient and compassionate without limit to the wrong of others
believing in their innate goodness and in the principle of change.

I. Objectives
✓ To discuss the forgiveness God offers
✓ To explain Jesus" command to forgive
✓ To describe the Sacrament of Reconciliation as source of God's grace of
forgiveness

Thoroughly wash away my guilt; and from my sin cleanse me.

Psalm 51:4
II. Key Understandings
o We need God's grace to have the courage to forgive sins.
o We are to forgive others without limit.
o To forgive is not to tolerate wrongdoings but to let love renew a falling relationship

Three is sometimes associated with the number of times we limit ourselves

in forgiving or in giving the people who wronged us, the chance to change. Beyond three, we
feel abused and the other abusive. Today, forgiving without limit continues to be a challenge
to everyone.

III. Listening Reflectively

A reading from the book of the prophet Hosea 1:2-3, 2:7, 3:1-3

When the Lord began to speak with Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea: Go, get for yourself
a woman of prostitution and children of prostitution, for the land prostitutes itself, turning
away from the Lord. So he went and took Gomer, daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived
and bore him a son.
Yes, their mother has prostituted herself;she who conceived them has acted
shamefully. For she said, "I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my
wool and my ax, my oil and my drink."
Again the Lord said to me: Go, love a woman who is loved by her spouse but commits
adultery; Just as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love raisin
cakes. So I acquired her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a lethech of
 barley. Then I said to her: You will wait for me for many days; you will not prostitute yourself
or belong to any man; I in turn will wait for you."

The Word of the Lord... Thanks be to God!

In spite of his wife's continuous unfaithfulness and betrayal, Hosea remained

faithful and forgiving. What he was doing for her made him appear foolish in the eyes
of others. But for him, it was an expression of his true love for her.
Today, relationship is constantly challenged by unfaithfulness due to lack of
commitment and sacrifice. Misunderstandings and conflicts, imperfections and
shortcomings are easily turned to as reasons for separation/unhappy relationship
rather than challenge for a deeper and stronger relationship. Forgiveness seems true
only in ancient martyrs and not in today's generation.

IV. Knowing Lovingly

What does Christ offer the sinners?

Christ offers the sinners forgiveness.
In Luke 7, Jesus forgave a sinful woman who was said to be a prostitute. "So I tell you,
her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom
little is forgiven, loves little” (Luke 7:47).
In John 8:7,10-11, there was a woman caught in the very act of adultery. The people
brought her before Jesus. Referring to the Law of Moses, they tested Jesus of His response.
But instead, He said, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone
at her." The people started to go away one by one, beginning with the elders. Then Jesus said
to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She replied, "No one, sir.”
Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, [and] from now on do not sin anymore.
After all the sufferings and pains, Jesus still forgave the thief who deserved punishment
and promised him of paradise. "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise”
(Luke 23:43). Jesus perhaps saw the sincerity of his heart and the gift of forgiveness was
given.
Forgiveness is understood as wiping the slate clean, pardoning, and canceling a debt.
It includes ceasing to feel resentment or hold a grudge, and letting go of the anger and
resentment. We seek forgiveness from the person we hurt in order to restore the relationship.
But we have to understand that only the person who does no wrong perfectly to anyone
deserves to be forgiven. Since all of us, in one way or another, commit wrongdoings to others,
we do not actually deserve it. Thus, forgiveness is an act of love. It is grace. It is happens
because God loves us.
All of us need God's forgiveness. We all have fallen short and deprived of His glory.
Ecclesiastes 7:20 proclaims, "yet there is no one on earth so just as to do good and never
sin.” First John 1:8 says, "If we say, 'We are without sin' we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us.” We desperately need God's forgiveness; otherwise, we will spend suffering in
eternity as consequence of sin. "And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous
to eternal life" (Matthew 25:46).

Why do we need to ask for God's forgiveness?

God's forgiveness makes one a new creation and this delights Him, our Father.
 In 2 Corinthians 5:17, "So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have
passed away; behold, new things have come.” Through the gift of forgiveness, we receive the
grace of renewal and love from God. In addition, we are freed from the consequence of sin-
condemnation. There awaits no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. "There is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.." (Romans 8:1). "For God
did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved
through him!” (John 3:17)
We have to remember that the only just penalty for our sins is death. The first half of
Romans 6:23 declares, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord." Eternal death is what sin brings us.
It is God's joy that we turn to Him and receive His forgiveness! (Isaiah 30:18), "Truly,
the Lord is waiting to be gracious to you, truly, he shall rise to show you mercy; For the Lord
is a God of justice: happy are all who wait for him!" And the heaven rejoices for anyone who
repents. "In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over
one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10).
Deep within in our hearts, we do not really want to hurt other people. There is no joy
and peace in it. And so, the joy is incredible when the person we have hurt forgives us. This
is so because this is who we are--a child of God, a new creation.

What does Christ ask from us?

Christ asks us to repent and forgive others.
Repentance means a sincere resolve to turn away from sin and toward God. "Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). It involves sorrow for the acts of sin
and change in attitude. It is turning our heart, mind, and body towards God.
As part of repentance, we should confess our sins to God, and also to other people,
just like what the prodigal son did in Jesus' parable. "Father, I have sinned against heaven
and against you" (Luke 15:21). This leads us to the realization of our sinfulness and the
goodness of other people who forgive and understand us.
We are all sinners in our own ways. "All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of
God" (Romans 3:3). We may fail God again, taking for granted His love and care for us. But
He is always willing and happy to forgive us while we live. 2 Peter 3:9 States "...he is patient
with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."
As Jesus forgives us, we must also forgive people who sin against us "If you forgive
owner their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive
others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions" (Matthew 6:14-15). God
commands us to forgive others. This is the right thing to do that will set us free and experience
true joy.
Forgiving another person is hard. It may require more time to heal. But it is not
'impossible. We can forgive for deep within us is God's spirit of love, empowering us to forgive.

How many times should we forgive?

We are to forgive others without limit.
In response to Peter's question, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I
forgive him?" Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times”
(Matthew 18:21-22).
In the Jewish culture, forgiving someone is limited up to three times. This is based on
Amos 1:3-13 where God forgave Israel's enemies three times, then punished them. Peter
 asked Jesus if forgiveness was to be offered seven times. Seven times is more than three
times. Peter perhaps wanted to impress and appear kind before the Lord. But Jesus
responded that forgiveness should be offered four hundred and ninety times. It was far.
beyond what Peter proposed.
By saying seventy times seven, Jesus was definitely not limiting forgiveness to 490
times. We must continue to forgive as we do the first time. We are capable of this because
God's grace is unlimited. The forgiving Spirit of God lives within us. He who provides the
ability to offer forgiveness over and over, just as God forgives us over and over.

Why did Christ call us to forgive our enemies?

An unforgiving heart can lead us to more sin.
The absence of forgiveness brings conflict. With conflict comes anger. Unresolved anger
opens up the doors for hatred. With hatred, this can lead us to hurt and harm other people.
When this happens, peace and joy are brought away in our midst.
The greatest weapon to deal with anger against those people who harm us, or do us
wrong, is the weapon of forgiveness.
In Ephesians 4:26-27, God firmly tells us that if we do not deal quickly with those who
hurt us, we give the devil the opportunity to lead us to greater sin. "Be angry but do not sin;
do not let the sun set on your anger, and do not leave room for the devil.
We should not forget that God as our Father desires nothing but what is good and
beneficial for us. Forgiveness is for our own benefit. It is for our own good. God would never
tell us to forgive our enemies if it was not good for us.
However, forgiving others does not mean allowing ourselves to be abused and to
tolerate their evil deeds. The motive of forgiveness is to restore the relationship and let the
good in each person dominate over anger and hatred. With forgiveness, we open the door for
love – love that can transform and renew a person, no matter how sinful he/she becomes.
With love, we let God's grace to work in us.

V. Integrating Holistically

God is a loving Father. His mercy is infinite. Jesus exemplified God's love in the
parable of the prodigal son who was accepted without reservation and with joy and
gladness by his own father. There was even a celebration, a banquet prepared in his
return. This is what happens whenever we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. "The
Father receives the repentant son who comes back to Him; Christ places the lost sheep
on His shoulders and brings it back to the sheepfold; and the Holy Spirit sanctifies this
temple of God again or lives more fully within it. This is expressed in a renewed and more
fervent sharing at the Lord's table where there is great joy at the banquet of God's Church
over the one who has returned from afar (Rite of Penance 6d). The banquet is the
sacrament of the Holy Eucharist where we reunite ourselves with God by receiving Christ
and the community.
Through the priest, our sins are forgiven. He pronounces the words of absolution:
God, the Father of mercies,
through the death and resurrection of His Son
has reconciled the world to Himself
and sent the Holy Spirit among us
for the forgiveness of sins;
 through the ministry of the Church
may God give you pardon and peace.
And I absolve you from your sins
in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
To which the penitent answers: "Amen"
(Rite of Penance 46).

Asking for forgiveness is a part of the whole process of conversion which includes
penance by restitution and reparation of injury, and firm purpose of renewal of life.

One must do what is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g., return stolen goods,
restore the reputation of someone slandered, pay compensation for injuries). Simple
justice requires as much. But sin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well
as his relationships with God and neighbor. Absolution takes away sin, but it does
not remedy all the disorders sin has caused. Raised up from sin, the sinner must still
recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin:
he must "make satisfaction for" or "expiate" his sins. This satisfaction is also called
"penance."

CCC 1459 It is clear that forgiveness is not confined to words. True sorrow and
conversion require action of doing justice and living a good life..

References
Aviles, A. F., & Frando, E. A. (2016). Signs of the Times: Jesus, God's Prophet, Priest, and Servant King. Quezon City: Rex
Book Store, Inc.