By Fr Arockia Dhas Rayappan –
In the afternoon, an expatriate once walked into the Church campus where I was an associate pastor at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Kanhei, Haryana. He seemed deeply distressed. His eyes were swollen with tears. He fumbled while he conversed with me. After some time, he requested me if he could be permitted to pray inside the Church since the Church remained locked for safety-related concerns, especially in the afternoon when there was no one around. I often saw the parishioners kneel on the pews to pray during liturgical hours. There were also other times during which parishioners used the Church to pray. From his conversation, I gathered that he was just another expatriate who was there to pray. He might kneel and pray in silence on a pew – maximum of fifteen minutes. Then he would be back, either to his office or home. I am unsure if I even asked his name. I accompanied him while he walked further.
He prayed on his knees on the floor beside the altar. He wept while he prayed, looking at the statues of the Crucifix and a statue of Our Lady – Help of Christians, and the mural of the Last Supper on the backdrop of the altar. I knelt on the closest pew adjacent to the kneeling expatriate while I waited for him. He turned and inquired repetitively, “Did Jesus forgive Judas Iscariot who betrayed him?” I was stunned. I took some time to respond to him, saying that I would reply to him once he finished praying. I walked back and waited for his return at the entrance of the Church.
It took some time for me to offer a response to him. Mine was not an instant response! Upon his return, I replied to his enquiry saying: “I am unsure if Jesus forgave his disciple Judas Iscariot who betrayed him with a kiss at the Garden of Gethsemane and let him be chained (Matthew 26. 47-50). But Peter … Peter was chosen to lead his disciples after him. But he denied Jesus three times (Matthew 26. 69-75). I strongly feel that it was Peter who hurt Jesus the most. Yet, Jesus forgave him, and made him as his successor. Peter was indeed our first Pope. The Gospel of John records that Jesus’ forgiveness to Peter was total and full. If Jesus forgave the denial of Peter, he might have surely forgiven the betrayal of Judas too.” Then, he asked for confirmation whether Judas was fully forgiven by Jesus. Without enquiring further, I responded instantly, “Yes, he was.” His face instantly glowed and radiated as if he received an instant realisation and healing after he heard the assurance that Jesus forgave his disciple Judas. Then the expatriate requested if he would pray again and would return soon. I nodded with my assent, and replied to him, “You may, please.!’ Then, he walked back to the same place, kneeled, and prayed. Surely, his prayer was that of healing, forgiveness, and gratitude then! His question, “Did Jesus forgive Judas Iscariot who betrayed him?” annually revisits me (and other times too) as the Lent season of our liturgical year approaches.
This article explores the teaching of Jesus on forgiveness as expounded by Archbishop Bernard Hebda of Saint Paul and Minneapolis who is crystal clear in his articulation that Jesus’ forgiveness to those who hurt him directly was intentional and conscious. Archbishop Hebda explains Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness by a catchy anecdote of the flipsides of a coin – the intertwining between love and forgiveness. He upholds that forgiveness is of paramount importance for Jesus. It is the flip side of the coin, namely, love that ranks first, the top side while it heads. The Archbishop relies on the Gospel of John to drive home his message. In the Gospel we read, Jesus wants us to love one another as he has loved us. Jesus reminded us that the love we have for one another is a living testament and proof of our discipleship – the hallmark of our discipleship (Jn 15.12,15; 13.35) for the times to come. In reality, our love towards each other has its own shades. It is imperfect and flawed in comparison to God’s love. We hurt and damage our relationship with God and neighbour when we sin. It is while we sin, the coin flips on the side of tail. Flipping on the tail side indicates our moving away from God’s friendship and His presence. Remaining in sin leads to alienation from God’s presence, i.e., being in a tailspin – to be in the absence of God. [To be continued …]
Father Arockia D. Rayappan [email protected] is a priest of Delhi Archdiocese and a Ph.D. student at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. His ministry in the states of Delhi and Haryana has been in missions of Rohtak and Dharuhera, parishes, the Formation Commission, seminary, and school. He served as the deputy secretary general and PRO of the Regional Bishops’ Council of the North from 2012-2014. His contributions have been published in The Voice of Delhi, The Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, The Indian Currents, The New Leader, The Examiner, The Tablet-Brooklyn, USA, Golden Key Academy-Atlanta, USA, and JDV Times.