- Feb 5, 2002
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Recently, my grandson approached me with a question regarding forgiveness; it went something like this, “ Danny stole my skateboard. Two days later he returned it, saying that he found it in the street by his house. If I forgive him, is his sin forgiven?”
I thought that this was a pretty good question coming from a twelve year old, and I most certainly wanted to give him an appropriate answer. So, I did. I told him that when we forgive others, we are forgiving the person, but not the person’s sin. However, in my grandson’s mind the sinner and the sin are inseparable. So, I had to make a better distinction, as follows:
However, as far as Danny’s sin of theft is concerned, you cannot forgive his sin because you don’t have the authority or the grace to do so. “Only God can forgive sins because only God can restore grace when grace has been lost” (Catholic Dictionary, by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.).
This power to forgive sins has also been given by God to His priests in the Catholic Church when God works through the person of the priest in the sacrament of confession. Looking closely at the Lord’s prayer, we can see that we are asking God to forgive our sins, as we forgive the people who have sinned against us. It does not say, “as we forgive the sins of those who have sinned against us.
Continued below.
Recently, my grandson approached me with a question regarding forgiveness; it went something like this, “ Danny stole my skateboard. Two days later he returned it, saying that he found it in the street by his house. If I forgive him, is his sin forgiven?”
I thought that this was a pretty good question coming from a twelve year old, and I most certainly wanted to give him an appropriate answer. So, I did. I told him that when we forgive others, we are forgiving the person, but not the person’s sin. However, in my grandson’s mind the sinner and the sin are inseparable. So, I had to make a better distinction, as follows:
However, as far as Danny’s sin of theft is concerned, you cannot forgive his sin because you don’t have the authority or the grace to do so. “Only God can forgive sins because only God can restore grace when grace has been lost” (Catholic Dictionary, by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.).
This power to forgive sins has also been given by God to His priests in the Catholic Church when God works through the person of the priest in the sacrament of confession. Looking closely at the Lord’s prayer, we can see that we are asking God to forgive our sins, as we forgive the people who have sinned against us. It does not say, “as we forgive the sins of those who have sinned against us.
Continued below.
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