Forgiveness

     Boy are we blessed!  :-)  We had an amazing glimpse of Heaven through our very saintly priest today.  Do you know the kind of priest I am talking about?  Do you know the kind who actually gives you useful information?  He doesn't hold back or water things down in order to keep from offending anyone?  He is the very essence of the strong man who leads and takes his role seriously.  He is the  kind of priest who inspires a sense of security - you actually feel safer in his presence (much like a small child feels safer in the presence of their father), and you are reminded why we actually call him "Father."  I hope you know the type and are as blessed as we are.  Anyway, I had a reason for going into that (I know you are wondering what that tangent had to do with the name of this post).  One of our wonderful priests had the most amazing homily today at Mass, and I just had to pass along the information.
     So Father started out by telling the story of a young man who went to his priest for help.  That young man was possessed by a demon.  (I should let you know that this is a real story that our priest had personal experience with - he offered advice to the priest that was helping the young man.)  Anyway, the priest helped that young man get in touch with the exorcist of his diocese.  In the course of the exorcism, the priest who was performing the exorcism spoke with the demon and demanded to know what the doorway was that allowed him to possess the young man.  At that point the demon started taunting everyone and laughing.  The demon said that he would never have to leave because in order for him to leave, the young man would have to forgive his parents.  That may seem rather minimal, except for the fact that the parents of this poor man were satanists and had tortured and abused him both physically and mentally from the time he was an infant.  Wow!  How can you forgive something like that?  It is humanly impossible.  In the end, the young man was able to forgive his parents and be freed from the terrible demon.  Do you want to know how (and this is where the useful information for everyone comes in)?  The priest counseled him to accept the fact that it was humanly impossible to forgive his parents.  Instead, he should pray a certain prayer.  He should tell Jesus that he was incapable of forgiveness in this instance, and that he should ask Jesus to do it for him.  That man did pray that prayer daily, and in praying that prayer, Christ forgave his parents for him and then worked through the man to the point that he was able to forgive his parents too.  We know that the man forgave his parents because the demon left.
     I have to say that I was floored.  Sitting in that pew, I was profoundly moved.  Who in their lives hasn't had the need to forgive someone?  (For that matter, who hasn't needed to be forgiven?)  Forgiveness can be such an abstract thing.  I have often wondered what it actually means to forgive.  I mean, do you have to feel all warm and fuzzy toward that person after you have forgiven them?  If you don't, does that mean that you didn't actually forgive them?  How in the world do you let go of hurt feelings and heal, and if your feelings are still hurt, does that mean you haven't forgiven?  Can you actually give forgiveness immediately, or does it have to take a long time?  If it takes a long time, how can you heal if you haven't forgiven?  As a woman, it seems that feelings and emotions are how I am wired.  How in the world can I feel hurt but still let go, forgive, and move on?
     Well, now I have the answer.  I just need to give it to Christ.  I just need to ask Him to forgive for me.  If a man who had been tortured and abused from the time he was an infant is able to forgive (and truly forgive to the point where a demon no longer could have possession of him) by first asking Christ to do it for him, then I can certainly let go and forgive the minor things that I have faced in my life.  Father reminded us today that Christ doesn't force Himself upon us.  Rather, He waits for us to ask.  If we ask, He always, always helps.  We are always called to move past our human nature and imperfections, but Christ will ALWAYS help us do that.  All we have to do is ask.
     What an amazing glimpse of Heaven!  Indeed, Father's words were an outright window!