The meaning of Christian forgiveness

Christianity is big on forgiveness — at least in theory. The faithful are viewed as judgmental, but their leader, one fella named Jesus, said, "I came not to judge the world but to save it."

I mention this because Pope Francis has declared a "Jubilee Year of Mercy" for the Catholic Church, an occasion for all Catholics to meditate on mercy and, more importantly, to practice it. As part of this, the pope gave a special dispensation for all priests to be able to forgive women who have had abortions.

As with Catholic issues, and religious issues in general, though, a lot of nonsense has been written about this in the press, so a few clarifications are in order. First, and this is a central tenet of Christianity, as a general matter, priests can forgive any sin, even the most heinous. As I said, we're big on forgiveness.

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When it comes to abortion, the situation is a bit tricky, because procuring or performing an abortion or helping someone to do so is not only a sin but incurs excommunication, which bars you from receiving sacraments, even confession. This is why, in theory, a bishop has to sign off on forgiveness for abortion. I say in theory, because in practice, bishops can and do give their priests a blanket permission to grant this forgiveness. In theory, priests actually need permission from their bishop to do anything, including celebrate Mass. In practice, bishops grant them blanket permission to do most things.

The abortion decision, however, is still a beautiful symbolic gesture from Pope Francis, and should be understood as such. The pope highlighted his sympathy with the plight of women who seek abortions and often feel that they have no choice. It's just that in practice, his gesture won't change much.

But it does offer a perfect opportunity to reflect on the Christian meaning of forgiveness.

One of the most important words in the New Testament is the Greek "metanoia." It's usually translated as "repentance," but it literally means "change of mind," in the sense of "getting a new mind." To "repent" in the Christian sense isn't just to feel sorry, it is to get a new perspective.

In one of the most powerful Gospel stories on forgiveness and repentance, the prodigal son does not just feel sorry about abusing his father's generosity — he fully intends to turn his life around and change things.

There has often been a caricature in the West — a caricature often encouraged by the faithful — of the Christian message that goes something like this: God is angry with you for being so bad and wants to send you to Hell, but thankfully there's a loophole. Because Jesus died and rose from the dead — somehow — this means that if you do this and that, you can get in God's good graces and win a ticket out of this world to a place called Heaven.

The story the Bible tells is very different and much more complex. In the Bible, God created a good Universe and charged humans to be His stewards to ensure its flourishing; after humans failed, the Universe, including the humans in it, became broken. The Bible, and the story of the Church, is the story of God's attempt to rescue his good creation through human beings. The point is that God doesn't just want to "get right" with us so we can enjoy a good "relationship" with him, although, of course, that is important. The point is that God has a job for us to do, and this job is to ensure the flourishing of the world.

This is the framework where Christian forgiveness works. For us to do this job, for us to flourish and to bring flourishing to those around us, we have to renew our minds, we have to be changed, with God's help. That's the meaning of Christian forgiveness: not a legal transaction where we say "I'm sorry" and God says "Oh ok, that's all right then." Instead, it is a true change of the heart.

We have all known true contrition, as opposed to just feeling sorry. And, I hope, many of us have experienced true forgiveness. When these things happen, it's not just about feeling sorry. It's about becoming a changed person.

This is why, in the Catholic view, confession is so important. God doesn't just want you to feel sorry. He wants to be your friend and partner in bringing flourishing to you and all of Earth. And in order to do that, you have to "repent," to not just feel sorry for yourself but to want to change.

Of course, it is a process that can take many years — indeed, more than a lifetime for most of us, with many setbacks on the way. But God is always there to forgive you, always there to help you.

And that is the other key meaning of God's forgiveness in Christianity: it is infinite. The greatest spiritual master of the 20th century, St. Therese of Lisieux, had this wonderful phrase: "Lord, the world's worst sin is like a drop of water in the burning pyre of your love."

That is what Christians should celebrate.