Is Forgiveness Possible?

“God forgives somehow; we have yet to learn the same.” – Mary Chapin Carpenter.

A fundamental principle that undergirds the Biblical tradition upon which Catholic theology is predicated is forgiveness. The Catholic faith believes that God so emphasizes forgiveness that He has endowed the Church with the sacrament of reconciliation. To ask God for the forgiveness of one’s sins is a necessary condition for our salvation.

But what exactly does it mean for God to forgive us our sins, and is it possible, or even natural, for human beings to forgive one another?

What Is Forgiveness?

Before examining what forgiveness is, it should be stated that forgiveness presupposes that an individual or group has engaged in an action or omission contrary to the will of another. Said differently, forgiveness presupposes that another person has done something wrong. This action or omission may be trivial, as when one forgets a birthday, or it may be something grave, such as when one unlawfully takes the life of another. It may even take the form of willfully acting against the will of God, which is called sin.

In a sense, forgiveness entails the pardoning or remission of a debt. In the examples above, this may take the form of one ceasing to feel anger at their birthday being forgotten, or it may take the form of a murder victim’s family ceasing to feel animosity toward the murderer. 

Regardless of the act, our sense of justice seems to dictate that the wrongdoer provides some form of compensation to “pay for what they have done.” 

Nevertheless, forgiveness and justice are not the same. To distinguish forgiveness from justice, we can say that forgiveness is personal and subjective, whereas justice is impersonal and objective. They ought not to be understood as mutually exclusive, however, and both are necessary for human beings to live in a community with one another.

Returning to the Catholic vantage point should allow us to see the relationship between forgiveness and justice. The salvific work of Christ has made it possible for human beings to be reconciled with God. In this context, Christ has satisfied the need for justice as it relates to sin. Still, Catholics are required to go to confession when they have sinned. Catholics confess our sins in hopes of obtaining God’s forgiveness, and we do acts of penance to satisfy (we hope) God’s requirement for justice. 

God’s forgiveness cannot be understated. If God is not merciful, we have no hope for our salvation. Fortunately, it is evident that God’s nature is compassionate, and He readily forgives (see Daniel 9:9). Significantly, since God has no need of anything, His forgiveness is unconditional and a manifestation of the Divine love.

This leads to another question, is forgiveness solely the purview of God, or is it possible, or even natural, for human beings to forgive?

Is It Possible To Forgive?

It was said above that forgiveness involves relieving the debt that another owes. Moreover, true forgiveness seeks nothing in return. In this regard, forgiveness is very similar to a gift. 

The concept of forgiveness as a gift leads to what the French philosopher Jacques Derrida called the impossibility of the gift. Derrida thought that any gift, in this case, forgiveness, is always reciprocal in nature. If someone is given a gift, the person receiving it is obligated to reciprocate. At the very least, one must thank the other person or even provide his own present or some form of compensation.

If forgiveness is a gift, and gift-giving is reciprocal, is it really possible for someone to forgive another unconditionally?

A Catholic Approach To Forgiveness

It can be argued that true forgiveness is not natural to human beings. In this sense, Jacques Derrida is correct. Because of this, the Catholic approach to forgiveness can be considered radical. 

In order to understand why this is so, it is necessary to examine one of the most striking statements made by Christ. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” (Matthew 5:43-48). 

I do not think Christ’s exhortation is any less startling to us than it was to a first-century person. Startling because it is counter-intuitive to love what one feels hatred for (i.e., one’s enemies). How, then, can forgiveness be understood in light of Christ’s words?

In order to understand how true forgiveness (that is, forgiveness devoid of reciprocity) is possible, it is necessary to see forgiveness as a form of charity. Charity or caritas means love of one’s neighbors. Love within a theological context means to will the good of another person independently of one’s own interests. 

Unfortunately, this type of love is not natural to our fallen state either. It can only be obtained by God’s Grace. For this reason, love – inclusive of forgiveness – is considered a theological virtue. The theological virtues – faith, hope, and charity – are traits supernaturally infused into the soul by God. 

As stated above, it is evident that God places great emphasis on forgiving each other, and Saint Paul suggests that forgiveness is necessary for discipleship. He writes, “Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” (Ephesians 4:32). 

It might even be argued that our salvation rests in no small part on our ability to forgive one another. “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.” (Matthew 6:14).

It seems that to be Catholic requires us to forgive one another unconditionally. Only then, only when we forgive others, will we be forgiven. Only then will we be children of God.