[Oe List ...] Witness: "Forgive Them, for They Know Not What They Do"

[Isobel and Jim Bishop]

Dear Jack,
Thank  you for these words.  I was especially helped by the statement  
when forgiveness has occurred at the deeps- we can experience  our  
being with' a purified centre, with a renewed sense of self-worth,  
and an understanding of  how the depths of pain and deceit can become  
the instruments of greatness in our own spirit.'
I have watched a cousin of mine as she has endured her divorce, and I  
will give great thanks to you, Jack, as I introduce her to these  
words of experiential wisdom, from your good self.

We have returned from our Good Friday Service where our younger  
daughter Cathy-  sang a solo in a Hymn named: ' Here hangs a Man  
discarded' , by Brian Wren, a Welsh hymnwriter. Our older daughter  
Rebecca and I were a part of the Choir.


Blessings to our community,

Isobel Bishop.
On 06/04/2012, at 11:22 AM, Jack Gilles wrote:

> These words, spoken by Jesus on the cross just before he died have  
> been at the heart of the story of the crucifixion and the  
> resurrection.  But what is 'forgiveness' and what is the  
> relationship to the resurrection?  I think that without these words  
> the resurrection loses its significance.
>
> There is a lot of talk about how we should forgive people who have  
> offended us.  Like "cheap grace", the words often spoken "I forgive  
> you" are not coming from the same place Jesus was when he spoke  
> these words.  We often say something like "I forgive you" when in  
> reality we really do not.  We may feel these words will get a  
> situation back to normal, bring a nasty situation to a conclusion,  
> or perhaps we feel the person really didn't mean what they said or  
> did, especially if they had had a different context.  So a  
> situation may become better, or a person feel better with these  
> words, but they are not what Jesus was pointing with his words.
>
> Non of us have been crucified, but we may have been falsely  
> accused, had friends or even family abandon us, been left alone to  
> face a situation we should not have had to face.   But resurrection  
> only comes through forgiveness.
>
> Let me try and ground that in a real situation.  Nothing can be  
> more soul wrenching than a divorce.  Having gone through one I know  
> that the pain can be intense.  But this is not about my divorce,  
> for I was fortunate to have a great human being with whom I went  
> through a great transition, and although it was painful for both,  
> neither of us ever became mean or accusative toward the other.  But  
> I know of situations that were not.  What happens when you are lied  
> to, lied about, deceived, falsely accused and vilified and those  
> words and accusations used to try and turn friends and family  
> against you?
>
> Forgiveness is not justifying or excusing behavior, it is not  
> saying what was done is okay (I can rise above this), it is not  
> even feeling pity or sorrow for the other's  brokenness and deceit.
>
> Forgiveness is first and foremost recognizing that this is about  
> you, not the other.  It is about God, not the perpetrator.  Your  
> "resurrection" depends upon it.  Forgiveness means you take all  
> that has been done to you and redeem it, you know that your soul is  
> sanctified when you embrace the event, embrace the pain and embrace  
> the other as your path.
>
> In a the case of a divorce like I spoke about, we can celebrate the  
> divorce, but not simply because it is over, you won and life has  
> become a new normal without surprises and pain.  We celebrate it  
> because you have a purified center, you have a renewed sense of  
> self-worth and you understand how the depths of pain and deceit can  
> be the instruments of greatness for your own spirit.  You give  
> thanks for the love of Being who has given you a "blessing" in the  
> form of a divorce.
>
> With the forgiveness the resurrection becomes possible.  The  
> embrace of the cross, it's evil, creates the open tomb.
>
> So, "Let us forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who  
> trespass against us."
>
> Let us embrace the cross of the life we have been given and  
> participate in the universal resurrection, the Truth of life, now  
> and forever.
>
> Jack Gilles
>
>
>
>
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