Cardinal Tobin: Jesus is the One whose forgiveness is redemptive and life-giving
My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
We, as sinners, must acknowledge and accept that we have betrayed the people who are closest to us—spouses, families, friends, co-workers, and all those who have trusted us because of our personal or public roles. More often than we care to admit, our words and actions hurt the people we love. Sometimes, our indifference to others’ needs separates us from them, creating walls where bridges are desperately needed. Surely, we have also betrayed our Redeemer, the One who has called us to be His faithful missionary disciples.
Even great saints find that they must confess their betrayals and infidelity to the way of life they have chosen in Christ. Simon Peter is a classic example. He denied Jesus three times, betraying his Lord at the moment when his loyalty was most urgently needed. Jesus forgave the man he named Petrus (the rock), but not until he had challenged him three times to answer the question: “Do you love me?” and then instructed him to faithfully and unselfishly “Feed my sheep.”
Pope Leo XIV highlighted human betrayal during his General Audience commentary (see selection below) on a scene from Saint Mark’s Gospel wherein Jesus says to his disciples during the Last Supper, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me” (Mk 14:18). The Holy Father states that Jesus’s “strong words” were not spoken to condemn his betrayer, whom we know to be Judas, “but to show how love, when it is true, cannot do without the truth.”
The truth is that we all fall short of our obligations to those we love. Jesus knows and understands this about us. He sees us as we truly are—our strengths and weaknesses, virtues and vices. He does not scold or berate us. Instead, as Pope Leo says, “He does not raise his voice, nor point his finger.” When Jesus looks at us, he sees both our failures and our potential for repentance, conversion, and growth in holiness. Our Redeemer chooses to encourage the good in us and to invite us to become holy and remain faithful to Him.
Consider the Gospel stories of great sinners who encountered Jesus (the woman caught in adultery, Levi the tax collector, and many more). Our Redeemer does not stand in judgment against them. He reaches out to sinners and loves them, and He offers them the chance to live differently as His disciples. Jesus is always portrayed as the One whose love is redemptive and life-giving. His grace heals the wounds that separate us from each other and from God.
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