The Necessity of Forgiveness

The Command to Forgive

Delivered at the Table of St. Cyprian, in the presence of Count Boniface.

1. The Holy Gospel we just heard being read has admonished us about the forgiveness of sins. On this subject I must now speak to you. We are ministers of the word—not our own word, but the word of our God and Lord, whom no one serves without glory and whom no one despises without punishment. The Lord our God, Jesus Christ, who abiding with the Father made us, and having been made for us, remade us—He Himself says to us what we've just heard in the Gospel.

"If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him" (Luke 17:3-4).

He wouldn't have us understand "seven times in a day" as anything other than "as often as necessary." Otherwise, someone might sin eight times, and you'd be unwilling to forgive. What then is "seven times"? It means always, as often as someone sins and repents. This is similar to "Seven times a day I will praise You" (Psalm 119:164), which means the same as another Psalm says: "His praise shall continually be in my mouth" (Psalm 34:1). There's a compelling reason why "seven times" represents what is continuous: the entire course of time revolves in a cycle of seven recurring days.

2. Whoever you are who set your thoughts on Christ and desire to receive what He has promised, don't be slow to do what He has commanded. Now what has He promised? "Eternal life" (John 3:16). And what has He commanded? That you forgive your brother.

It's as if He said to you, "You, a mere human, give pardon to another human, so that I, who am God, may come to you." But to set aside for now those more sublime divine promises in which our Creator pledges to make us equal with His angels—that we may live with Him, in Him, and through Him forever—not speaking of this right now, don't you want to receive from your God the very thing you're commanded to give your brother?

I repeat: don't you want to receive from your God exactly what you're commanded to give your brother? Tell me if you don't want it, and then don't give it. What does this mean? It means that you should forgive when asked, if you require forgiveness yourself. But if you have nothing that needs forgiveness—though I shouldn't even say this—if you have nothing that needs forgiveness, you may refuse to forgive.

3. You're about to say to me, "But I'm not God; I'm human, a sinner." Thank God that you confess you have sins! Now forgive, so that your sins may be forgiven. Yet the Lord our God Himself encourages us to imitate Him. First, Christ Himself encourages us, of whom the Apostle Peter said, "Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth" (1 Peter 2:21-22).

He truly had no sin, yet He died for our sins and shed His blood for the forgiveness of sins. He took upon Himself for our sake what wasn't His due, to deliver us from what was due to us. Death wasn't due to Him, nor life to us. Why? Because we were sinners. Death wasn't due to Him, nor life to us. He received what wasn't due to Him, and He gave what wasn't due to us.

But since we're speaking of the forgiveness of sins, in case you think it too lofty a thing to imitate Christ, listen to the Apostle saying, "Forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32). "Therefore be imitators of God" (Ephesians 5:1). These are the Apostle's words, not mine. Is it really arrogant to imitate God? Hear the Apostle: "Be imitators of God as dear children" (Ephesians 5:1). You're called a child; if you refuse to imitate Him, why do you seek His inheritance?

4. I would say this even if you had no sin that you yourself needed forgiven. But as it is, whoever you are, you are human. Even if you're righteous, you're still human. Whether you're a layperson, a monk, a minister, a bishop, or even an apostle—you're still human. Listen to the Apostle's voice: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8).

It was John himself, that renowned John, an Evangelist whom the Lord Christ loved above all others, who reclined on His breast—he says, "If we say." He didn't say, "If you say you have no sin," but "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." He included himself in the guilt, so that he might be included in the pardon as well. "If we say." Consider who's speaking: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:8-9).

How does He cleanse? By forgiving—not because He finds nothing to punish, but because He finds something to forgive. So then, brothers and sisters, if we have sins, let's forgive those who ask us. Let's not harbor enmities in our hearts against others. More than anything else, holding onto grudges corrupts our hearts.

5. I urge you to forgive, since I find you asking for forgiveness yourselves. You're asked to forgive; you're asked, and you'll ask yourself. You're asked to forgive; you'll ask to be forgiven. Soon, the time for prayer will come, and I have you bound by the words you'll have to speak.

You'll say, "Our Father in heaven" (Matthew 6:9). You wouldn't be among the number of His children if you didn't say, "Our Father." So you'll say, "Our Father in heaven." Continue: "Hallowed be Your name." Say further, "Your kingdom come." Keep going: "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

See what you add next: "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). Where are your riches now? You've become a beggar. But meanwhile—and this is my point—say what comes next after "Give us this day our daily bread." Say what follows: "Forgive us our debts" (Matthew 6:12).

Now you've come to my words: "Forgive us our debts." By what right? By what agreement? Under what condition? According to what stipulation? "As we forgive our debtors." It's a small thing if you don't forgive; you do worse—you lie to God. The condition is established, the law fixed. "Forgive as I forgive." Therefore, He doesn't forgive unless you forgive. "Forgive as I forgive."

When you ask to be forgiven, you must forgive the one who asks you. The One who knows heaven's laws has dictated these prayers. He doesn't deceive you. Ask according to the terms of His heavenly instructions—say, "Forgive us, as we also forgive," and do what you say.

Whoever lies in prayer loses the benefit they seek. Anyone who lies in prayer both loses their case and finds punishment. If someone lies to the emperor, they're convicted of their lie when they appear before him. But when you lie in prayer, you're convicted by your very prayer. God doesn't need witnesses to convict you. The One who dictated the prayer to you is your Advocate. If you lie, He becomes a witness against you. If you don't change your ways, He will be your Judge.

So both say it and do it. If you don't say it, you won't receive what you request, since you're asking contrary to the established law. But if you say it and don't do it, you're further guilty of lying. There's no way to evade that verse except by fulfilling what we say. Can we delete this verse from our prayer? Would you keep the clause "Forgive us our debts" but erase what follows— "As we also forgive our debtors" ?

You can't erase it, or you yourself might be erased first. So in this prayer you say, "Give," and you say, "Forgive"—so that you may receive what you don't have and be forgiven for what you've done wrong.

It's a simple summary. Hear Christ Himself say elsewhere, "Forgive, and you will be forgiven" (Luke 6:37). What will you forgive? The sins others have committed against you. What will you be forgiven? The sins you yourself have committed.

"Forgive." "Give, and it will be given to you" (Luke 6:38)—what you desire, eternal life. Support the poor person's current life, sustain the poor person's present existence, and for this small and earthly seed, you'll receive the harvest of eternal life. Amen.