Lent XII: 490

" . . . how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times."

 - From Matthew 18

I noticed something in today's reading, that I had never noticed before. Peter had asked Jesus how many times to forgive a member of the Church that sinned against him . . . .

An interesting point, that the Church is supposed to forbear with one another, to an almost superhuman level. Nothing here is indicated about forgiveness of non-believers, although in other parts of Scripture it's clear we are supposed to extend the most grace to the lost.

But the point is also crystal clear: the Church should let nothing divide it from itself. We must be exceedingly long-suffering to each other, and not present to the world outside, a body with fissures and divisions that can be exploited.

I've stated many times on-line, that if the Church in the US would refuse to let temporal politics divide us, there would be no problem we couldn't solve.

Our divisions give aid and comfort to them that would love to see persecution restored against God's people. If we held together . . . there would be so much less boldness to expand sin in our culture.

And there are sins on the Left, as well as there are sins on the Right.

Shame on those, in a certain major denomination, that have publicly mocked and ridiculed their own brethren, on account of a recent denomination-wide vote that aligned according to the two American political parties.

Listen to each other!!

And there is no better way to forgive, than to really listen to that other person.