Why Forgiveness Is Not the Same as Reconciliation

The summons to forgive is an intrinsic part of the Christian life. But recently it occurred to me that there is an important difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. If we don't account for this difference, then the practice of forgiving "seventy times seven times" becomes onerous rather than life-giving, and at worst it can even lead someone to dangerously ignore the need for healthy boundaries. The fundamental difference between forgiveness and reconciliation is that it takes one to forgive, but two to reconcile.

The Fruits of the Kerygma

When we talk about the kerygma, I think that there are three aspects of it that we need to understand. In the first place, there is the message that makes up the content of the kerygmatic proclamation. Second, this proclamation is intended to produce a particular response on the part of the hearer. Finally, when this message is met with its intended response, we can expect to see certain fruits in that person's life.

Suffering: Part of God’s Plan?

Go ahead and re-read the Gospels. Keep a tally if you want. See how much it portrays the triumph of Christ over what afflicts man, over what steals, kills, and destroys in man's life, versus how much it talks about the need to embrace suffering in our life. (Post 3/3 on suffering.)

Talk: Inviting the Act of Faith

I was honored recently to be invited by the Youth Apostles community to speak at one of their regular formation nights. The invitation was extended based on a series of posts I wrote on Inviting the Act of Faith, which was an exploration on my part of how we can invite people to make an explicit decision for Christ in a Catholic context. The talk I presented, which can be viewed on Youtube below, was a summary of that series with practical pointers for how to put it into practice.

The Importance of Process

Imagine you asked me what you need to do to be an elite weightlifter and I responded just by saying, "You need to bench press over 300 pounds." If you were to go out and try bench pressing 300 pounds you would literally get crushed. Getting to that point requires a process, a training regiment where you build up to the desired weight. The answer of "bench press 300 pounds" might give you a target to aim for, but what you really need is a personal trainer to guide you through the process.