1. The 19th and 20th Sunday in Ordinary time spoke about the ‘Bread of Life.’ And St. Thomas commented on how to eat this ‘Bread of Life.’ He said by walking towards the Bread asking God in every step to forgive one’s sins and the next step in forgiving those who have sinned against us. Walk towards that Bread by reciting that part of the ‘Our Father’ forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sinned against us.
God will forgive our sins only if we forgive those who sinned against us. If we do not forgive those who have sinned against us, no matter how many times we confess, those sins will not be forgiven. The ‘Our Father’ is clear, that forgiveness of our own sins depend on our first forgiving those who sinned against us.
The ‘Our Father’ is precisely recited before Holy Communion so that our forgiving of those who have sinned against us would remove all our past sins thus preparing us for our own worthy reception of Holy Communion. In fact, in any situation where we need to be in the state of grace, like before Holy Communion or before dying, if we find ourselves in sin the fastest way to prepare ourselves is to forgive all those who sinned against us. Since this act will make us deserving to be forgiven by God.
2. Asking for God’s forgiveness for our own sins should always accompany forgiving those who have sinned against us. Both are a difficult combination because it entails much knowledge of Catholic Doctrine. If even one heretical doctrine contaminates one’s knowledge of Catholic teaching, both act of asking forgiveness and forgiving others become difficult. And it is unfortiunate that today we live in very evil days, St. Paul wrote to the Ephesias (second Reading.) The evils of today had drowned everyone’s ability to ask for forgiveness on one hand and to give forgiveness on the other hand. Thus everyone is in that state in which God will not forgive them. And they aggravate the situation because they all go to Mass and receive Holy Communion thus committing a second sin by receiving Holy Communion sacrilegiously unto their condemnation.
3. A bishop.
I know of a bishop who gathers people who do not think of their sins and consequently cannot forgive those who sinned against them. He aggravates their situation by making them recall sins against them, arousing their hatred and desire for vengeance by telling them how they can earn money by feeding their hatred. He calls it ‘retreats.’ He does this to every soul who shows him they cannot forgive. Alone, this bishop can drag the whole world down to hell, first, because of their inability to forgive, God will not forgive them. Secondly since he celebrates Mass with them and gives Holy Communion, what is meant to be the ‘Bread of Life,’ becomes poison for them, according to St. Thomas.
4. A Catholic Politician.
Elpidio Quirino was the second President of the Philippines during my time. That was just after the end of the second World War. I was 4 yrs old. Japan had been defeated and there were many Japanese prisoners in the island. The wife of Elpidio Quirino, Alicia Syquia, one of his son and two daughter were earlier killed by the Japanese. And five other members of his family, it seems. And Elpidio was now the President of the Philippines. The Japanese soldiers, now Philippine prisoners, had all been duly sentenced according to their crimes; death sentence, life sentence and other minor punishments. As President, Elpidio Quirino could have allowed the wheel of justice to role since sentence had been given. Let the heads role.
It is not clear when Quirino begun to think; but he needed a delicate medical procedure in the U.S. that would probably endanger his life. Being a devout Catholic, he begun to think. If he did not forgive the Japanese who killed millions of Filipinos and his own family, then God would not forgive him as the ‘Our Father’ states. On the other hand, if he forgave the Japanese the Filipinos who suffered grievously under their cruel occupation would hate him. He would lose the love of the Filipino people. Besides, presidential election is around the corner. If he loses the love of the Filipino people he would certainly lose the election. His opponent then was Ramon Magsaysay.
Elpidio Quirino was faced with a test of Faith. He had to choose between the tree of life and the tree with the forbidden fruit; in the first place, either to be enshrined perpetually in the hearts of the Filipino people by executing those Japanese murderers. And consequently to win the presidential election against Magsaysay. Or, to do God’s will and forgive by executive clemency the Japanese prisoners of war, that God may forgive him in return. Elpidio was a lawyer; he was a thinking man and his choice was clear. He asked for a microphone and broadcasted the executive clementy; all Japanese prisoners are free and may return to Japan. Elpidio forgave in his desire to be equally forgiven. He chose to do God’s will. He was an intelligent man (as the reading of the 20th Sunday states.). To win God’s pleasure, he paid dearly with his political career. The Filipinos, unable to understand at first his actions hated him. And he lost the election against Magsaysay. The most vocal were the Spanish mestizos whose population was decimated by Japanese atrocities. They switched and suported Magsaysay.
But the story of a good Catholic man does not end there. The released Japanese prisoners went home with great joy . They could not understand Elpidio’s gesture which is unparelleled in the history of wars. No president or country had ever done anything like this before. All they could think of is; he was a Christian. Even now, the loved one of those freed solders would reverently bow in gratitude and awe every time the name of Elpidio Quirino is mentioned. And the Spanish mestizos, interviewed many years after in a chapel, answering if they understood what Elpidio did, would answere; ‘he was right. What he did was right. After all they were also Catholics and interviewed in obviously a chapel they could not miss the fact that the Our Father that motivated Elpidio was always recited before Holy Communion. ‘Forgive us our sins as we forgive trhose who sinned against us…..’ The documentary showed many good points of Elpidio Quirino. But as the documentary ended, the most important aspect of his life was featured by a choir…..I think that was inside the Vigan catedral, singing the ‘Our Father.’ And forgive us our sins. As we forgive those who sinned against us.
It is funny. I have been looking homilies for the 19th and 20th Sunday in Ordinary time in the internet. I did not find any that impressed me. I heard the story of the bishop mentioned above. But he was the anti-thesis of the important message on forgiveness. And, it was, I think a National Geographic documentary that I watched all about Elpidio Quirino, a Filipino president, a shinning example of forgiveness unequaled today amidst politicians. See how they have not forgiven past presidents. And, therefore, their own sins remain unforgiven. But isn’t it even funier. That the good example is that of a Catholic politician; while the bad example is that of a bad Catholic bishop?