Johannine Hours
September 1995

Luke 23,33-34 

[The "Johannine hours" are meant as a way of seeking God in silence and
prayer in the midst of our daily life. During the course of a day, take a
moment to read the Bible passage with the short commentary and to reflect
on the questions which follow. Afterwards, a small group people can meet
to share what they have discovered and perhaps for a time of prayer.] 

Luke 23.33-34 

When they came to the place called "the Skull," they crucified him
together with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left. And
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing."

>From the time he joined penitents going to John the Baptist to receive a
baptism of repentance, Jesus entered into solidarity with sinners and
those poor before God. He committed his entire life to manifest the Good
News to them. Now he has no place on earth to live. After having been
abandoned and denied by his disciples, condemned by the country's highest
authorities, rejected by the people, he is nailed to a cross: the death
reserved for slaves and criminals. 

Yet he does not pay attention to this scandal, nor to the evil that is
done to him. He does not complain about the suffering he undergoes. He
does not think about the questions "why this unjustified evil? who is
responsible for it?" He is entirely concerned with saving a relationship
with each person. He does not imprison anyone in the evil that has been
done. He believes in them more than they do in themselves. By this
forgiveness, a reconciliation is already offered. It is in the peace and
the light of the resurrection that this will gradually become accessible.

When we go through an inexplicable trial, when we feel forsaken by those
in whom we had placed our trust, we can be surprised to find a violent
reaction welling up in us. Sometimes we feel the need to get some
distance, to allow some time to pass. Then we realize that forgiveness is
not a natural attitude for human beings. But in such moments of crisis we
can also discover that living a life of forgiveness means first and
foremost letting the Risen Christ forgive within us. 

All who choose to let Christ pray in them "Father, forgive" remain free
of violence and bitterness. Free of distances, of an indifference that
gives the illusion of protecting them, like armour, against a suffering
which has become too unbearable. The heart remains alive: it can begin to
hope anew. 

      For what person or situation can I call upon Christ's forgiveness? 
      With whom does forgiveness open for me a road to the future, the
      possibility of creating something with others over time? 
      What other words or parable of Jesus help me to root myself in his
      forgiveness? 


"Johannine Hours" - 9/95 - ©71250 Taizé-Community, France.
taize@cpe.ipl.fr 





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