Robert Barron - The Forgiveness of Sinners
Peace be with you. Friends, we’re coming to the end of our Lenten journey. We come to Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday because, on Palm Sunday, we always read at Mass the Passion narrative from one of the synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark, or Luke. We read John’s account on Good Friday. The Gospels have been called Passion narratives with long introductions, meaning what they’re really about, what sums up their meaning is this great narrative of the Passion. And so we pay very special attention on Palm Sunday. Something I like to do is to find the elements that are unique to this particular version.
So this year, we hear from St.Luke. And there’s a lot of overlap, obviously, in the Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s account of the Passion, but there are certain things stand out in each of the Gospel writers. So I want to look at two things that are peculiar to Luke, and they both have to do with forgiveness. They both have to do with the forgiveness of sins. Here’s the first one. Only in St.Luke do we find this dialogue between Jesus and the two criminals who were crucified on either side of him. Only in Luke do we have this man, the tradition is called Dismas; we don’t know his name from the Gospel, but traditionally he’s called Dismas, the good thief. This dialogue is of extreme importance, it seems to me, for all of us sinners. So you know the scene.
Well, Jesus crucified in the middle, on either side these two. They’re called criminals, bandits, I think, in other Gospels. Who they were, what their crimes were, is a little bit unclear, but they’re bad people and they’re being punished. The first one speaks to Jesus in a very aggressive way: «Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us». Look, we’re all sinners. I’m a sinner. Everyone, listen to me, is a sinner. So we know what this space is like. When you’ve sunk to a low place, spiritually speaking, you know you’re down in the pit. One option that is often chosen is one of recrimination, of bitterness, of anger, a tendency to lash out to blame somebody else for your troubles. All of that is summed up here.
So here’s the Lord Jesus Christ right next to him: «Well, look, I thought you were the big shot. You’re the Messiah, so why don’t you save us? Save yourself», disrespectful, full of recrimination, full of anger and bitterness. Every one of us has been there, right? Every one of us in our sin has found ourselves at different points in our lives like this man. Well then, we’re meant to look at the other criminal, the other man being punished. He says, «Have you no fear of God? Indeed, we’ve been condemned justly, for our sentence corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal».
The contrast is extremely illuminating, The first one, sunk in bitterness, isn’t it? lashing out at those around him, taking no responsibility, just trying to find an easy way out. Then the good thief, Dismas, his first move is to admit his sin: «Look, we’re being punished, but it fits our crimes». In other words, «I’m guilty. I’m not making excuses, not blaming somebody else, not lashing out in anger. I’m admitting I’m a sinner». How important is this, again, fellow sinners? We opt for that first option way too often. This is the path of salvation: admitting that we’re sinners. How difficult this is, may I say, in our present culture? I think one of the marks of our time is a passion for self-exculpation. Do you know what I mean? We forgive ourselves.
«Look, I’m not to blame. This is not my fault. It’s the society. It’s my inheritance. It’s my addiction. It’s whatever». The last thing I want to do is admit that I’m a sinner, I’ve done wrong, a punishment that I’m receiving. Look, I deserve it. Isn’t it interesting, everybody, one of the prerequisites, when you’re coming to confession to receive absolution, a prerequisite is the showing of contrition. That’s why when you go to confession, it’s not just a little empty ritual when the priest will ask you to say, either in that very formal language or your own language, some act of contrition. Contrition, the Latin word is «contritio» behind that, which means to be crushed. It means a crushing, that we have to acknowledge that sin has crushed us, that we’re under the weight of it. We’re guilty of it. If we can’t admit that, then the forgiveness can’t flow into our hearts.
See, not because God’s being difficult, but we’re being so resistant to it. If you can’t admit your sin, you can’t receive forgiveness. It’s as simple as that. It’s again, a type of spiritual physics. And so this man, look, he’s dying. He’s a bad man, I don’t know exactly what he did, but he’s a bad man and he knows it, and now he’s dying. It’s the end of his life, but his great act, and it’s what opens him to salvation, is he admits his sin. And so as we come to the end of Lent, fellow sinners, own up to it. Own up to it. You’re a sinner. I’m a sinner. Don’t blame others. Don’t reach out in anger. Admit your sin in the presence of the Lord. And then, it’s so beautiful, the whole tradition has reverenced this in poetry and song, he turns to the Lord and says, «Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom».
The first thing that strikes a lot of the spiritual masters is the use of the Lord’s first name. It’s relatively rare in the Gospels that he’s called Jesus. I mean, he’s called Master, he’s called Son of David, Lord, but you’d call him by his first name. Well, it’s not presumptuous; it’s an expression of intimacy, of friendship. «Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom». He’s not claiming virtue here, not claiming merit, like «Hey, Lord, let me into your kingdom because I’ve done the following good things». None of that, none of that. He’s a sinner. He knows it. He’s admitted it. And then, «Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom». That’s a really good spiritual attitude.
May I suggest as we enter Holy Week, that’s a really good prayer for all of us sinners to pray. «Jesus, I’m not claiming merit here. I’m just saying, remember me when you come into your kingdom». And then, I mean, some of those beautiful words of the New Testament. The Lord says, «Amen, I say to you, today you’ll be with me in Paradise». Dante said that all God needs to forgive the sinner is one tear of repentance. Think of the worst person. The worst person, lived his whole life in sin, comes to the very end, but on his deathbed gives rise to one tear of repentance. It’s all God needs. It’s all he needs. «Jesus, remember me, » and then the Lord says, «Amen, today you’ll be with me in paradise». Beautiful prayer.
Fellow sinners, never give up. Never give up. I know we’re tempted, «Oh, I’m the worst sinner. I’m sunk too low. He’ll never forgive me. All I can do is lash out in anger». No, no. That’s the one thief. Go with this man. Okay, here’s the second thing, or one of the things that’s unique to Luke, and it’s also related to forgiveness. It’s only in Luke that we find Jesus from the cross saying, «Father, forgive them, they know not what they do». One of the most moving lines of Jesus; only in Luke that we find that. I’ve said to you many times before, the death of Jesus is the result of a conglomeration of human dysfunction.
When we read this Passion narrative on Palm Sunday, listen, hatred and cruelty, stupidity, violence, scapegoating, injustice, all of it, it’s like all the rats came out of their hiding place; all of the wickedness is revealed. All the masks are torn away, and we see all of human dysfunction coming out to meet him. What’s his response? «Father, forgive them, they know not what they do». And see, what don’t they know? And this of course is giving it away. If Jesus is simply this great moral figure, he’s an inspiring spiritual teacher, okay, he says, «I forgive them», but who is he? It’s not just that. He’s the Word made flesh. He’s the splendor of the Father. He’s the incarnation of the Logos. He’s God from God, light from light, true God from true God.
Therefore, when human sin comes out against him, it’s coming out against God. You see, now, on the cross, it’s not just a good man dying; it’s the central tragedy of human life. It’s the central drama of all of humanity. It’s human sin meeting God. Think of this, everybody: What every sin, from the smallest peccadillo to mass murder, has in common is this move. It’s human wickedness meeting God, coming out against God. What we’re meant to see here in this is everything. That’s why I say it’s all of my sins (yes, in principle) are present there. Every sin you’ve ever committed, every sin of the human race has this in common: It’s human resistance to God.
Now Jesus’s words are not just those of a good, pious man: «Father, forgive them, they don’t know who I am. They don’t know that I’m God from God». Therefore, this word from Jesus is our salvation. We come at God with everything we’ve got. We come at him with all of our resistance, and what do we meet? Forgiveness. That’s Christianity, everybody. That’s the uniqueness of our Christian faith. We don’t meet resistance from God. We don’t meet anger from God. We don’t meet retribution from God. We don’t meet avenging justice from God. We meet forgiveness.
Now, take this scene and transpose it into the Resurrection appearance. When Jesus appears to those who had abandoned him, had betrayed him, had denied him (his friends, his disciples, who had abandoned him at the moment of truth) and he shows them his wounds: «Yes, I mean, this is the sign of your sin». But then he says to them, «Shalom, » peace, peace. The good thief, «Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom»; «I assure you this day you’re with me in Paradise». All of human sin comes out to meet him, resisting God, and God answers in forgiving love.
Do you see why we say the cross is the moment of our salvation, why we say on that cross the sins of the world are forgiven? Do you see why we say the Father is pleased with the sacrifice of the Son? That’s why, because in that moment, human sin was dealt with. So, everybody, on this Passion Sunday, this Palm Sunday, as we read Luke’s account, pay attention to this special stress placed upon God’s forgiving love. Move into the space of Dismas, the good thief: contrite, «Lord, I’m not running away or denying it. I’m a sinner, but Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom». Your sin, if you’re open to forgiveness, will be met with divine mercy. And God bless you.