Reflection: Meet Saint Ann.* The man who shared her promise to cherish for a lifetime violated that holy vow. For seven, shameful, lonely years she picked up the family pieces and chose to forgive one…day…at a…time. The day the prison spat him out was not just one more day to say sorry. With the breath of the Spirit, Ann helplessly begged ‘Daddy! Father!’ That day when everything human in her said No! Ann chose to say, Yes, I forgive. And she brought him home.
There is nothing natural about forgiveness. Grace served up in forgiveness is spiritual. Grace served up like that flows from There, Christ served up revolutionary love and forgiveness. And so can we…but only as we are conscious of our own radical forgiveness and helpless dependence on God’s Spirit. That’s how Ann lives, and that’s what makes her a living saint.
Prayer: As a newborn my lungs are not choked with the old breath of fear. Instead, with the breath of your Spirit my helpless infant-cry to you is, ‘Daddy! Father!’ And with that consciousness of dependence, I can objectively confirm by your Spirit: I am indeed a child of God.** That you have treasured and forgiven me, Father, may I be enabled to treasure and forgive others one…day…at a…time.
* pseudonym
**Romans 8:16