Friday of the First Week of Lent
The Polish Saint John of Kanty is not exactly a household name in the United States, but I once read a description of him written by Pope Clement XIII that has never quite left my mind: “If he suspected that someone had felt insulted by his speaking the truth, before going to the altar, he would ask forgiveness for what was not so much his own sin as the other person’s misunderstanding.” To ask forgiveness of someone whom he did not wrong is so contrary to our usual way of thinking. If we find ourselves in conflict with another, we tend to ask, "Well, do I owe him an apology?” I wonder how often such a question is simply an effort to avoid the bittersweetness of reconciliation. St. John of Kanty suggests that Jesus turns such received wisdom on its head, just like he does in today’s gospel: “You have heard it said… but I say to you…” Jesus brings something new to the question of reconciliation with our neighbor, commanding us to pursue it wholeheartedly and lavishly to bestow it. Perhaps forgiveness could be the alms we give this Lent, setting our neighbor free from the debt he owes us or asking humbly that we might be forgiven.