We know this is not the case. I thought for sure folks would jump all over the last article and argue strongly that one of the most important things we need to do is tell people we are sorry and also make amends when we wrong someone.
For example, if we steal from someone, we need to not only say we are sorry but also return what was stolen plus interest. That’s clearly the right thing to do. Imagine stealing from someone and then saying, well, love means never having to say you are sorry so I’m just going to let that person love me. This is obviously bad behavior and not part of “the truth.”
If we hurt a loved one (even if we don’t think we did), we should still apologize and try to overcome the wrong. Right? Does anyone disagree with that?
It is hard for us to overcome our pride and say we are sorry. We will beat around the bush or soften the apology. This is typical of most men (dare I say).
It is the more mature individuals that are able to overcome their pride and truly apologize and make amends.
Let’s look once again at what Jesus did. When did Jesus say he was sorry?
He never did anything wrong as he was/is God and perfect. So, how could he ask for forgiveness? But, he did ask for forgiveness for others such as when he was being crucified. He asked his Father to forgive his murderers. Then, he went on to make amends for them by shedding his own blood.
This is the example we need to follow.
Well said. I will try to follow up more shortly.
ReplyDeleteI don't disagree with the comments. Sometimes we have to try to put ourselves in the perspective of the other person (Especially in the male/female spouse arguments) to better understand the how the other person feels. Many times we hurt someone without even knowing it.
ReplyDeleteI like this past Sunday's Gospel (week 6?) where Jesus challenges us to love our "enemies". That's a tall order - with atheists mocking the Catholic Church (eg: Bill Maher) and some Islam extremists physically attacking Christians. The tough question is how do we "love" these folks while still defending the Church and our beliefs? That's the question I mulled over during the homily on Sunday.