Forgive Me!

"Forgive me."  Two words.  So easy to pass the lips.  But for many, too difficult to form the prayerful thought which allows the words to be formed and delivered.

"I forgive."  Two more words.  Just as easily do they pass the lips.  But with even greater difficulty do they formulate, especially when the intellect is allowed to dominate the spirit.

"God forgives!"  Two final words.  We recognize these, and they are offered quite freely through the lips.  And yet as they are so offered, we don't often associate them with the true meaning, the true depth of spiritual lesson, contained in them.

Yesterday, on the Sunday of Forgiveness (also known as "Cheesefare Sunday" because the Great Fast begins with the Vespers of this Sunday), most Orthodox churches throughout the world celebrated the Divine Liturgy where from the day's Gospel we heard our Lord instruct us, "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."  (Mat 6:14)  And so we learn of the "conditions" applied by God for us to receive forgiveness from Him - we must freely and fully forgive others!  After Liturgy, we celebrate the Vespers of Forgiveness Sunday, and each member of the congregation, beginning with the priest, stands and one-by-one faces each member as they file by, until each one of us has face-to-face asked forgiveness of the other, and granted forgiveness to the other.  We do so by saying, "Forgive me," from the first, and the other then responding, "I forgive.  God forgives all!"

And so let us take this short message, and use it to express in all humility and sincerity our own seeking of forgiveness from each of you.  If we have in any way offended or wounded you, we beg your forgiveness.  Know that I freely forgive all.  And in our mutual forgiveness of one another, by our Lord's own words, we can be assured that God indeed forgives!

In Bulgarian there is an expression:  "Prosteno!  Prosti!"  Translated, it says, "Forgiveness!  Easy!"  When our intellects are brought into submission to our spirits, this should be the way of forgiveness - indeed, easy!

Having forgiven one another, we can move forward "easily" into searching out our own faults, seeking to make as full a repentance as possible before we come to the end of the Fast, when we will encounter our Lord at the Cross and the Tomb.

Wishing all a spiritually profitable Great Fast,

Father Basil