Anger, Forgiveness, and 9-11

September 7, 2011

Anger, Forgiveness, and 9-11

Scripture Readings for September 11, 2011

Sirach 27:30 – 28:9
Romans 14:7-9
Matthew 18:21-35

To all,

This is a bit longer than usual, but I ask you to reflect on it with me.

Sunday marks the tenth anniversary of 9 – 11. In the newspapers, on radio and TV and on the Internet, there have been all sorts of remembrances of the event, and reflections on how it changed the lives of individuals and the history of the nation. In the midst of all this, the Scripture readings for Sunday offer us lessons on anger and forgiveness.

In our Gospel reading from Matthew, Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times?” And Jesus replies, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” And then Jesus tells a parable about a servant whose debt to the king was forgiven, but would not forgive a debt owed to him, and then was punished by the king. Jesus says, “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

Does our Gospel reading have anything to do with our perspective on 9 – 11? When we hear Jesus speak about forgiveness, or we recite the Lord’s Prayer, we may think it only applies to our loved ones, or to fellow members of the church or some other group. Can it really be applied to terrorists, or others, for that matter, who are considered real enemies?

We need to remember 9 – 11. We need to acknowledge the great loss of life. We need to recognize all those on that day who showed great heroism and sacrifice in their attempt to help and save others, some at the point of losing their own lives.

We also need to acknowledge that there might be good reasons for people to be angry and withhold forgiveness. There can be great frustration in our relationships. There are people frustrated at the lack of job opportunities. We can all share some frustration with the politics in Washington and elsewhere. Sometimes we can’t bring ourselves to forgive someone because we know we’re right. We know an injustice has been done.

But however much our anger may be justified, we still need to listen to Jesus. I think some words from our first reading from Sirach can help us understand what we are called to do:

Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD?
Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself,
can he seek pardon for his own sins?
If one who is flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins?

I think often when we are hurt in some way, and get angry, the temptation is to get even. We nurse the grudge along, convincing ourselves how bad or wrong the other person is. In the words of our reading, we are “nourishing anger,” and “cherishing wrath.” When we do that, how can we expect healing from the Lord? It isn’t that Jesus withholds His love from us. When we are nursing a grudge, we are usually unable to listen to anything that Jesus may have to say to us.

When we look at the Cross, we can hear Jesus saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” We see Jesus taking our sins upon Himself. If we follow Jesus, can we justify withholding forgiveness?

Still, to forgive the terrorists who perpetrated 9 – 11, or others who have committed heinous crimes, seems unforgiveable itself. We need to remember that forgiveness doesn’t mean we condone the sin. It doesn’t mean we accept injustice. But it does mean we are willing to stop nourishing our anger.

So, can we, should we, forgive those who have killed so many people? I’m not sure I have a good answer to that. But I do know Jesus died so that we might be forgiven, and it seems to me that we have more than enough of people cherishing wrath against another, in almost all aspects of our society. Vengeance is the way of the world, but St. Paul tells us in our second reading from Romans that we are to live, and die, for the Lord. Is it possible to have healing without forgiveness? Have we been healed without God’s forgiveness of us?

May God continue to bless us all, and may all those who died that fateful day, rest in peace.

In Christ,

Phil, CP

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