Don Henley wrote a song called, “The Heart of the Matter,” and he writes: “These times are so uncertain/There's a yearning undefined/People filled with rage/We all need a little tenderness/How can love survive in such a graceless age?/Ah, the trust and self-assurance that lead to happiness/They’re the very things we kill, I guess/Oh, pride and competition/Cannot fill these empty arms/And the work I put between us, you know it doesn't keep me warm//I've been trying to get down/To the heart of the matter/But everything changes/And my friends seem to scatter/But I think it's about forgiveness/Forgiveness/There are people in your life/Who've come and gone/They let you down/You know they've hurt your pride/You better put it all behind you baby/'Cause life goes on/You keep carryin' that anger/It'll eat you up inside baby/I've been trying to get down/To the heart of the matter/But my will gets weak/And my thoughts seem to scatter/But I think it's about forgiveness/Forgiveness.” We live in uncertain times, times in which there are demonstrations and riots, looting and destruction, in which too many people are filled with anger and rage and “the heart of the matter” is truly forgiveness.
One of the things that we may learn in this uncertain world and graceless age, is the destructive power of anger, hatred and violence. When one harbors and nurtures unresolved anger, giving their hearts over to hatred and choosing to inflict violence on others, great evil is unleashed. The Wisdom writer Sirach’s remedy for this sad situation is forgiveness. “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight...Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord?” (Sir 27,30ff)”
Jesus also speaks to us about the importance of forgiveness in healing our hearts from the harmful effects of anger and hatred. Jesus warns Peter that he cannot put a limit on forgiveness. When we harbor anger and hatred against others because of some injustice suffered, then our hearts can become hardened and darkened. We become capable of inflicting violence against others, not only those who have hurt us, but we also can misplace our anger and hatred onto others who are innocent and undeserving of our wrath. Anger and wrath that is unforgiven becomes hatred that closes us off from love. When we allow anger and violence to remain in our hearts it can result in great evil. St. Paul tells his community in Corinth, “Whomever you forgive anything, so do I. For indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for you in the presence of Christ, so that we might not be taken advantage of by Satan, for we are not unaware of his purposes.” (2Cor 2,10f) Satan knows how to use an unforgiving heart to advance his purpose of destruction.
St. Paul teaches his communities the necessity for forgiveness. He tells the Ephesians: “All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” (Eph 4,31f) To the Colossians Paul writes: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.” (Col 3,12ff) The standard of forgiveness is the forgiveness that Jesus offers to all of us in reparation for our sins. Jesus teaches us the power of forgiveness from the cross when he humbly proclaims, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” (Lk 24,34) The cross reminds us that God chose to love and forgive rather than unleash His wrath. It is this love that brings healing and hope for the future.
Through the power of the cross love and mercy triumphs and we may be forgiven and healed from our sins and then learn to heal others and further the work of salvation. If God has so loved us then we must also love one another and forgive one another, bringing healing to this broken world. Forgiveness restores our relationship to a brother or sister that has hurt us and rebuilds our community. Wrath, anger, rage, violent protest, looting, destroying property and disrespect for the rule of law that governs our country are no where near the matter of the heart. They are the things that cause sin and cause us to be lost in a graceless age. Only forgiveness that restores us to relationship and leads us to peace will get to the heart of the matter and gives us a new heart on which is written a law of love for all of our brothers and sisters that we call our neighbors. We need open hearts, not clenched fists. We need to put our hurts behind us, heal the wounds that have broken our community, and move on to a future of hope and new life in the way of Christ, who humbled himself on the cross and bore the weight of the sins of a broken world and so restored this world to grace.