According to legend, when the German writer Heinrich Heine was dying on 17 February 1856, someone told him, in an attempt to comfort him, that God was merciful and would perhaps forgive his sins. Heine is said to have replied: ‘Of course he will; it’s his job.’ This is a cynical remark. This Protestant, liberal, and socialist was strongly armored against God’s grace, which truly wants to save everyone, even people like Heine and perhaps even those much worse than him. While Heine intended it as an ironic taunt against God, many of his followers have adopted it as their creed. They perceive God as a merciful craftsman who automatically approves of every human deed, no matter how reprehensible it may be. In contemporary secular circles, it is taken for granted that God is merely a mercy machine and has no right to do anything other than swallow every human evil and look nice and condescending while doing so. We often hear people in show business say that every deceased person is looking down on us from heaven. This distorted idea of God’s mercy, which is actually a reckless reliance on it, is often spread by many Christians. The clergy is also guilty of this. They believe that, in the race for secular popularity, it is necessary to catch at least the greasy, sticky hook hanging from the last carriage at the back. But that is not the solution. In this way, perhaps we can hold on for a while longer and please the pagans or secularised Christians who still have some awareness of ‘God’. However, to thinking people, such a concept of God is as ridiculous as a color-printed Santa Claus rocking an American child on his knee and asking what he would like for Christmas. God is not a senile fool whose job it is to forgive. He truly forgives, and he forgives often, but never automatically. He is alive, not a machine. As a living, supremely rational and free being, he makes decisions and can decide differently on the same matter. Because he loves people, he often rules in their favor and forgives them if they sincerely ask for forgiveness. It is unwise to take his love for granted, or to mock it. Love does not deserve to be abused or belittled. It is extremely important to us that God remembers our smallness and unreliability, and that he grants us forgiveness even after countless failures. However, he does not grant forgiveness so that we persist in failing, but so that we try with renewed strength and determination not to fail next time.
As we read in today’s Gospel on Mercy Sunday, the Lord Jesus empowers the apostles to forgive sins. He reminds us that while sins can be forgiven, they can also be unforgivable. This reflects what God can do: forgive, but also not forgive. He not only has the power to do so, but he also does so. He is too often willing to forgive, but he also has the option not to forgive. When does such an option come into play? God does not forgive when a person lacks the desire to be forgiven and does not ask for forgiveness. He does not forgive when a request for forgiveness is insincere, and there is no intention to change. God does not forgive when a person thinks they are entitled to forgiveness.
God can judge such cases; he sees into the human soul. However, he gives his Church the power to forgive or not to forgive. The priest in the confessional does not have God’s clairvoyance and cannot see into the human soul as clearly. Therefore, during confession, it is necessary to express regret and a desire to improve. You must also state the sin, how many grave sins, what kind, and the circumstances, as these can change how serious the act is. These circumstances can be mitigating or aggravating.
secularizedFortunately, God is extremely merciful, and, in his goodness, he gives people the gift of confession, an instrument of his mercy. In this way, he also shows that our salvation is in our hands. He has paid for it, and it is up to us whether we accept it. If we want to be saved, God is interested in our salvation. We have nothing to fear, and there is something to rejoice about.
Hello. And Bye.