Rediscovering the Path of Forgiveness and Reconciliation

Luke 23:34

We find ourselves at the foot of the cross. The one who walked among us—performing miracles, giving dignity to the marginalized, healing the sick, and feeding thousands—is now accused, sentenced to death, and crucified like a common criminal. The same one who was once welcomed with cloaks and palm branches, hailed with cries of “Hosanna to the Son of David,” is now spat upon, mocked with shouts of “Crucify him,” and hung on a cross to suffer an agonizing death. He, who had spoken of the Kingdom and hope, stands silent like a lamb before his accusers. And now, at the threshold of death, before those who mock him, cast lots for his garments, and delight in his pain, he is able to say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” It is Jesus himself, enduring the agony of crucifixion, who turns to the Father to plead for the forgiveness of those responsible for his pain, suffering, and eventual death. Even more, he reconciles humanity with God, saying to the man crucified beside him, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

I would sum up Jesus’ life—his work and ministry from birth to crucifixion—in three words: reconciliation, forgiveness, and love. The author of the Gospel of Luke places special emphasis on social justice. Through Jesus’ life, we see how the marginalized are uplifted: the shepherds receiving the news of his birth, the many women whom he dignified, the embrace of children. These are just a few examples that highlight the life of social justice embodied in Jesus Christ. Despite the abandonment and rejection he endured—even as he was unjustly judged, humiliated, tortured, and sentenced to death by the religious and political systems—Christ showed mercy and cried out to the Father for forgiveness. He did all of this for one main reason: love.

Beloved brothers and sisters, the words spoken by Jesus on the cross reveal how great and immeasurable his love was, is, and always will be for all creation. Jesus’ statements clearly define his purpose: to help us rediscover the path of forgiveness and reconciliation. His love transcends our failings, our sins, and our imperfection. It is a love that forgives, restores, and allows us to rise again and move forward. The love of Jesus, made visible in his death on the cross and embodied in his expressions, invites us to walk a path filled with mercy, rather than one weighed down by guilt and judgment.

However, this is also a call to reflect on our lives as Christians and as the Church. Jesus’ words are an invitation to understand that, beyond our faults and failures, his mercy reaches us and grants us a new beginning.

Do you know something? We too have been like those soldiers who crucified Jesus and mocked him. We too have often put Jesus back on the cross. Our attitudes and behaviors—classism, exclusivity, misogyny, homophobia, resistance to recognizing and embracing difference and diversity, and the misuse of so-called religious freedom—are all mechanisms to crucify Jesus, again. As Puerto Rican pastor and Singer-songwriter René González, sings:

“hemos vuelto a poner en la cruz con nuestras actitudes.
Fraccionando su cuerpo con nuestros preceptos e interpretaciones.
Impidiéndole al ser humano, el camino hacia al Padre.
Cuando el requisito es estar cansado y tener hambre.
Como un eco se escucha la voz de Jesús clamando por justicia.
Esperando calzado, vestido y comida o a ver quién le visita.
Quizás no has comprendido lo que Él está pidiendo.
Es que abras tus ojos porque cerca de ti hay un Jesús muriendo”[1]

And yet today, Jesus once again says, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Every single day, Jesus makes new attempts to reconcile us with God. Today, we are given yet another chance to change that reality in our lives and to cry out, “Father, forgive us!”

The mercy of Jesus forgives us, redeems us, and gives us a new opportunity to change who we are, how we act, and to live in accordance with his will and teachings. For this reason, today the Lord invites each one of us to experience that inexpressible love revealed in his sacrifice on the cross. Jesus invites all of us to experience His forgiveness, restoration, and transformation. Today, He calls us to experience His mercy which is renewed every morning.

Jesus also invites us to rediscover the path of forgiveness and reconciliation by extending that mercy, forgiveness, and love to all those around us. We are facing a nation that is enduring its own Calvary amidst everything it is going through. Consequently, we are part of a society that is searching for new hope. And that new hope can only be found through the mercy, forgiveness, and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, reflected in each one of us.

We are called to have mercy with those who are victims of physical and emotional violence. We are summoned to bring hope through mercy and fight for those who suffer oppression, marginalization, and discrimination. We are called to march on behalf of the immigrants who today must hide from modern-day Pharisees promoting abusive policies. You and I are called to reflect divine mercy by recognizing that we are all equal and of immense value before God. We are called to proclaim true freedom—not an exclusive or selective freedom. Because freedom for a few is not freedom; it is oppression and complicity.

Jesus calls us today to forgiveness and reconciliation. It is time to forgive those who have offended us. But it is also time for us to ask for forgiveness. It is essential to acknowledge our faults, our mistakes, and our sins—and to ask for forgiveness from God, from the person we have wronged, and from the society around us.

Today, through these words spoken on the cross, Jesus invites us to rediscover and live reconciliation. He invites us to reconcile with Him, with ourselves, with our brothers and sisters, and now more than ever, with nature and all of creation. Our society, and the world at large, will live in God’s hope and celebrate a new resurrection when we are ready to be part of the miracle of reconciliation—a reconciliation made visible in Jesus.

Today, as we live in a time of uncertainty, fear, and confusion, the Lord invites us to experience the peace that surpasses all understanding through the path of His forgiveness, His reconciliation, and His love. Let us trust that even in the midst of crisis, His mercy is renewed for us every morning; His forgiveness sets us free, and His love reconcile

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[1] "We’ve put him back on the cross with our attitudes, fracturing his body with our precepts and interpretations, hindering humanity’s path to the Father, when the only requirement is to be tired and hungry. Like an echo, we hear the voice of Jesus crying for justice, longing for shoes, clothing, and food, or simply someone to visit. Perhaps we have not understood what he is asking: that we open our eyes, because near us, there is a Jesus dying." Translation by Baptist Peacemaker Editorial Team.