4th Sunday of Lent

by Father Joe

4th Sunday of Lent

There is a difference between saying I’m sorry and asking for forgiveness. The first is a moment of conversion when we recognize our sins and turn from them. It is the moment of regret and we acknowledge we are wrong. The second is asking for reconciliation, something we cannot take for ourselves but which someone must give us. When we sin, we need to correct our mistakes and make amends for the hurt we have caused. Being sorry for our sin does not guaranteed reconciliation, and people may need time to reconcile. But we should ask for forgiveness and let others know we are truly sorry for our offenses. So when my words or actions hurt someone I love, I need to do all I can to repair our relationship, and to restore our love and trust. “Please forgive me” is a powerful step in the right direction. ~James Gaffney, @2010 Karides Lic. To Pilot Bulletins

There is a great scene in the movie version of Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol.” After his time with the Christmas spirits, Scrooge goes to the home of his nephew Fred and approaches Fred’s wife Emily, asking her, “Can you forgive a pig-headed old fool with no eyes to see and no ears to hear all these years?” It is the moment in the story when Scrooge is reunited with his family and discovers the meaning of Christmas he had denied for so many years.