Church has a repetitiveness. It’s not like going to the movies, or reading books, or buying gadgets, where you are one and done, you move on to the next thing. Church is more like the film Groundhog Day. You worship, then repeat, again, and again. Malcolm Gladwell explained how amazing sports or music stars we admire only got to be so good because they repeated what they do over and over – 10,000 times is the number he points to.
Something we redo every week is our ask for forgiveness. You’d think you could ask for forgiveness for past sins, then ask for a clean heart, and then be totally holy moving forward. But no, we lapse every week. Even if you’re making considerable spiritual progress, you realize new sins, new ways of being distant from God and ignoring God’s calling. Ash Wednesday (day after tomorrow) always looms large.
I love what Pope Francis wrote – that mercy is the main thing, and those who miss the joy and healing wonder of mercy are those who judge others and are sure of their own goodness. Others, feel they are irredeemable, and can’t point to much progress in holiness.
And for the grace not to get tired of forgiving others, which oddly is harder – but only because we like to be in control, and we don’t feel our own immense need for forgiveness. The more you pray for forgiveness, the more you know your need, and then the more you can forgive yourself and others.
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