Eternity in the Midst of Time by Wilfrid Stinissen

Author:Wilfrid Stinissen [AUTHOR, FIRST]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Spirituality & Religion
ISBN: 9781642290622
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Published: 2018-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Forgiveness turns the time of tyranny into a time of hope. If I constantly stand in the rain of God’s forgiveness, I am continually washed clean and renewed, and then I can also forgive others and myself. Why would I not forgive myself, when I know that God forgives me?

A New Creation

“God knows all”, writes Saint Ambrose (ca. 340–397), “but he waits to hear your voice, not in order to punish, but to forgive” (non ut puniat sed ut ignoscat). Ignoscere originally means: not to know. When God forgives, he does not see sin in the first moment in order to forgive in the next moment. The moment God hears the sinner’s voice placing his sin before him, forgiveness is also there. God does not have a chance to see the sin, so to speak. He sees his own mercy. We can truly speak of a simultaneous interpretation. But in contrast to the current simultaneous interpretation, this simultaneousness is absolute. Under God’s gaze, sin is immediately dissolved in his mercy. Forgiveness is not just to wipe out or forget. God’s forgiveness—and even ours, in the measure we take God as an example (Eph 5:1)—is a new creation. God creates anew and transforms the past. That time that appeared to be irrevocably lost, “imprisoned”, is redeemed by God. And thereby our thanksgiving is also set free. It now becomes possible “always and everywhere” to thank God. God is Lord of time. He can even bless “retroactively”. What a help in the struggle to let go of all sorrow over what cannot be undone and of things undone that can no longer be done!

The time is out of joint: O cursed spite,

That ever I was born to set it right!3

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