Warning! Religious content

Mark asked me to post a talk I gave at Sacrament Mtg. while he was here between Christmas and New Years day.  I am flattered, and while I am a bit reluctant to post in this very public forum, I want to support Mark and all of you.  So, here it is:

The Miracle of Forgiveness

Isn’t it a glorious day today?  I love it.

I assume everyone had a good Christmas?  You all ate lots of holiday treats and are now all set to make a resolution to loose those unwanted pounds?  Isn’t it fun that we get to do this every year?

Well, I have an assigned topic, but I want to start out by talking about miracles.  It is a sad thing that so many people think of miracles as the BIG ONES only.  For example, Jesus turned wine into water, raised Lazarus from the dead, and fed the five thousand.  These are undoubtedly miracles of the highest order, but there are many more miracles of the smaller variety.  For example, it was certainly a miracle, in my opinion, that Mary of Magdala was able to see and converse with Jesus before he was risen to his father.  This was a singular event that apparently was beyond the understanding of the 12 apostles.  And, I’m not sure we have the whole story either.  It seems that it was a very personal thing between just those two.

Also, there are other, seldom mentioned, but miraculous, spiritual events in our own lives.  If I may, I’d like to share one with you from my own experience.  Some 15 years ago my mother was stricken with cancer.  She was barely able to participate when my large, noisy, growing, and tumultuous family all gathered at my parents home at Christmas time, but she did get to see us all one last time.  I was able to be with her for a while longer and was there when she died on Jan. 10.  I was the last one to see her open her eyes, though only for a moment, and to speak to her.  As it happened, my sister, my father, and I were the only ones present at the time of her death, and we sorrowfully watched her struggle with her last few breaths.  My father was at her side, and my sister across from him, so I stood at the foot of the bed.  We were all very somber, of course.

At the moment when she died, I suddenly felt a sense of wonderful joy!  I felt it was my mother’s spirit passing by me, and I felt like she had smiled at me with approval.  It lasted only as long as it would take for someone to brush past you, but it was so remarkable that I was almost overcome.  I looked at my father and then at my sister, and I asked, “Did you feel that?”  They looked at me blankly, and it was obvious that they had not felt it at all.  I concealed my true feeling to protect their feelings, which made me a bit sad.  Later, I told them about it, but they had nothing whatsoever to say.  I don’t think they understood it at all, and I’m not sure I can explain it well enough to convey the immense rush of feelings I had in that single second.  ¡I connected with my mother at the moment she was passing through the veil!

That was an experience that, in my view, was miraculous – the most miraculous thing I’ve ever witnessed.  I do not feel any restraint about sharing it with you, but I do feel that it is intensely personal.  It was a miracle for me, alone, just as Mary’s miracle was for only her.

Another example of a miracle in my life has to do with my son.  We struggled with him all through his youth and teen years, and it broke our hearts to see him making bad choices, which led to more bad choices.  Ultimately we saw him come from the very brink of despair, and humble himself, seeking our guidance.  Liz, especially, never gave up on him and always made a point of telling him that we were here to help him if he would let us.  That thought led him back to us.  He straightened up his life, joined the Navy, and became a man.  His commanders have told us that he is a good leader, conscientious in his duties, and is anxious to take on those little extra responsibilities that make life better for his shipmates.  It has been a miracle to us, and that miracle is more in line with the topic to which I was assigned to speak, but it is a little, everyday miracle of the kind that many families experience.  Though some would not think of it as miraculous.  After all, countless young men embarrass themselves in their tender years and recover to become outstanding adults.  But, I maintain that it was a miracle, and one that we SHOULD recognize for what it is when it occurs.

A very closely related miracle is when one of us succumbs to temptation and follows its path until we realize we have committed a serious sin.  Many people give up and fall into despair when they fall, and many ruin their lives as a consequence.  It leads to embarrassment, broken homes, divorce, loss of priesthood blessings, and many other serious consequences.  But then we see someone go through this and then find the miracle as they learn the tremendous blessing it is when they humble themselves and repent.  The miracle occurs as they feel forgiveness of their sins.  The burdens they have carried are lifted, and with a free heart they begin the journey back, along the path to the righteous was of life so many of us here enjoy.

This kind of miracle sounds so common, but it is certainly not grasped by all people, nor even a reasonably high percentage of people.  It is one that requires us to undergo some  heart-wrenching emotional pain, but one that delivers tremendous relief.

We were at some friends’ house yesterday.  Mike and Leslie used to live next door to us and we have kept in touch.  As I was talking with Mike, his little 4-year old son came by and Mike noticed crumbs on his fingers.  Mike asked him if he had eaten one of the muffins they had prepared for our visit.  His son was reluctant to admit it, but since he couldn’t open his mouth without revealing the remnants of his guilt, he was forced to admit it.  Then Mike asked him if he had gotten any crumbs on the floor.  His son shrugged, because what 4-year old boy pays any attention at all to such adult things?  He followed Mike back into the hallway and there were no crumbs there.  Then Mike opened the pantry door and found them.  He looked at his son and gently asked him if he had hidden in the pantry so nobody would see him eat the muffin.  “Yes.”  Was the quiet reply.  So Mike picked up the crumbs and led him back into the kitchen where he got a plate, put another muffin on it, and invited his son to sit at the table and eat over the plate.

This is a simple little story, but it illustrates how repentance works.  The sin is committed.  It cannot be contained and one way or another, the terrible truth comes out.  The embarrassment is intense as we admit, or are forced to admit, our guilt.  But through confession, help from priesthood and or family leaders, personal commitment to change, and sometimes making up for the crime, we come clean and throw ourselves on their mercy.  And when we feel that we are forgiven, we find that the World is indeed a happy place where our fondest dreams can come true.  Whether it is our Earthly father, or our Lord and Master, the forgiveness restores our self worth and sense of being worthy of the gifts we receive.

The point where my example fails is the point of who grants us forgiveness.  When we sin, we can choose to pay the consequences of our sins.  OR, we can beg Jesus Christ to take our sins as if they were his own.  And if we repent, he will freely take them.  This leads to the Miracle of Forgiveness.

Brothers and sisters, this miracle, this miracle of forgiveness, is available to all of us.  So many times we hesitate to unburden ourselves of our sins and let them drag us down, preventing us from experiencing many of life’s joys.  And yet, when we do repent, and allow Jesus Christ to take our sins upon himself, we find such intense relief that we wonder why we hesitated.

I pray that we may take advantage of this miracle in our lives.  That we may humble ourselves to take those all-important first steps, and find the loving forgiveness that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ so freely offer us.  Amen.