The readings next weekend, Feb 20th, really do challenge us. First off is the “golden rule”. In everyday language this rule is “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Stop being selfish and really listen to what others need and to be sensitive to the feelings of others. This is what is called love in the “golden rule”. The second challenge is to love unconditionally in our relationships with others. The third and last challenge is to forgive unconditionally – no seeking revenge or retaliation for anything that has happened – instead look for the good in others and encourage and support others in their need.
We all know how easy it is to forget how God has worked in our lives. Just think for a moment of your memories, each of which will tell a story of God at work in you.
There are several stories of forgiveness in the real world, including these three which concern two presidents of the United States and a truck driver. When President Gerald Ford granted former President Richard Nixon “a free, full and absolute pardon” for his participation and perjury in the “Watergate” scandal, many considered Ford’s decision to be an act of weakness. In 1977, when President Jimmy Carter offered amnesty to those who, during the Vietnamese War, had avoided being conscripted, he was criticised for not enforcing the law. Both men, one a Republican, the other a Democrat, “took the heat”, as it were, because neither was motivated by partisan politics or the pressure of public opinion. Each had chosen to go beyond the limits of strict justice in order to exercise a mercy that was dictated, not by law, but by a conscience formed on Gospel principles. During the race riots in Los Angeles, in the aftermath of the Rodney King incident, a truck driver named Reginald Denny was pulled from his vehicle and severely beaten with a brick. When the case went to trial in 1993, Denny stunned the courtroom with his offer of forgiveness to those who had almost killed him. Later Denny said that only by forgiving the perpetrators of the crime against him had he been able to put the event behind him and move on.
Finally on a lighter note I offer you this: There’s a story told of a husband and wife both of whom were doctors – one a Doctor of Theology and the other a Doctor of Medicine. When their doorbell was rung and the maid answered, the inquirer would often ask for “the doctor”. The maid’s interesting reply was: “Do you want the one who preaches or the one who practices?