Last night I was watching Sister Act 2 on the TV, (remember those movies, I forgot how much I loved them) and was so moved by that song Happy Day. Don’t laugh it really is amazing (as they say) when we realise that with God we don’t have to feel guilty about all the things we have done that have hurt others and ourselves. Not that I feel I am fully there on this but even taking a few steps towards the realisation that God can truly let it go makes it so much easier to begin that process of letting it go too which is truly so liberating. “Oh Happy Day”.
Although it is bitter sweet as it also makes me that much sadder to realise that the church instead of making people feel this forgiveness, happiness and freedom to be themselves traps people in guilt.
Before re-watching Sister Act grace has been a bit of a theme in my life, for over a year now. Mostly I am becoming more and more aware of my own need for grace and the healing it brings. My own guilt that grace can free me from and allow me to be the person I truly am inside not a person defined by the things I have done wrong. And thus why I need so much to forgive people in my life. To allow them too, to be free from guilt and become the people that God sees and loves in them. Richard Rohr puts it this way:
“Most apologies people make to you are sort of embarassing and don’t work out because in granting them you are big hearted and generous, a great person and very often other are demeaned. It doesn’t make others feel better about themselves, they just feel you are big hearted. Of course, we would appreciate having some big hearted people around but Jesus is asking us to go one step deeper. Jesus isn’t saying “I’m big hearted, you’re sinful”. When Jesus forgives it isn’t so much an act of mercy as it is a loyalty to the truth of who you are. To really forgive someone is to recognise who they are, to admit and affirm who they are and to know their best selves will brought out only in the prescence of an accepting and believing person. Forgiveness is believing in a person and not allowing that person to be destryed by self hatred. This is a way of forgiving that doesn’t make you look good but them look good. That is the way God forgives us. In forgiving us God gives us back our dignity and self worth. He is loyal to the truth of who we are. God affrims we are good persons who have sinned, God asserts we are not bad.”
I am pretty sure I have put this quote on this blog before (I know I have sent it out in various letters). What can I say I am obsessed with Richard Rohr and this is what I believe about God’s grace and why it can be so healing right now, on earth, if we just let it.