Leaving the Past Behind

Today we are reminded of a power that is absolutely unique and utterly amazing. It is the power that God has to reach into our lives and actually make certain parts of our lives disappear. God has the power to take away the burden of our sins -- a burden that we so often carry within us for years and years. It's true that no one can change the past. What is done is done. That's that. But God has the ability not to let our past drag us down all of our living days. God's forgiveness frees us from the suffering that comes from our terribly oppressive guilt.

In our reading from Isaiah we hear God declaring these extraordinary words:
No need to recall the past, No need to think about what was done before.

There is absolutely no reason to dwell on our own personal past history of sinfulness. Leave it behind. Let it go. Give it up. Surrender it to God. God can deal with it. We don't have to. On our faith journey we need to let go of any baggage that will slow us down and keep us from travelling the roads ahead of us.

God's forgiveness doesn't imply that nothing happened, because forgiveness means that something did happen that should not have taken place. That's exactly why we need to be forgiven.

But forgiveness means that we are not forever  burdened with the guilt of what we have done. If we have realized our mistakes, no matter how  terrible they may have been, and asked God to bring us pardon, we can begin anew. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is beyond the power of God's forgiveness. That is the miracle of forgiveness. It gives us a chance to start over again, no matter what we have done.
           

 Peace,    Fr. John