St. Calixtus Said...
There is no sin beyond forgiveness. This got him into a lot of hot water with the church he was leading in the 3rd Century. At the time, the church was interested in solidifying it identity. An easy way to do that is to define the so-called other. We are us, because we are not them and they are not one of us. This mentality lead to a rash of excommunications prior to Calixtus's time.
Calixtus wanted to reconcile people with the church, bringing them back into the fold.
I see similarities in the West right now. There is a lot of temptation to declare people one is in conflict with as beyond reconciliation to want to exclude them from our circle and make them go as far away as possible.
The forgiveness that Calixtus promoted, however, wasn't a free pass on past wrongs. It wasn't a free gift to be handed out like cheap candy. Instead it was part of a sincere process by which the two parties admitted regret about the behaviors that caused the falling out. The parties re-agreed to a common set of rules, morals, codes of conduct that both felt were right and good. Both parties made sincere commitments to return to walking the right path. With those sincere commitments also came sincere forgiveness. This is an agreement to no longer hold those past deeds over the heads of each other.
For my own part, I regret not meeting face to face and eye to eye with the people who have upset me. I regret airing out my feelings in a public forum prior to talking with the others directly involved. I commit to keeping my mouth shut until I have spoken with the persons I am in conflict with. I regret listening to rumor and assuming it to be true. I commit to asking the person telling me the rumor to stop spreading rumors and going directly to the person involved and talking to them.
To all of the parties involved with the exile and the talked-about Ermine Company protest, I offer this apology, and I ask them to forgive me my sins and missteps.
Calixtus wanted to reconcile people with the church, bringing them back into the fold.
I see similarities in the West right now. There is a lot of temptation to declare people one is in conflict with as beyond reconciliation to want to exclude them from our circle and make them go as far away as possible.
The forgiveness that Calixtus promoted, however, wasn't a free pass on past wrongs. It wasn't a free gift to be handed out like cheap candy. Instead it was part of a sincere process by which the two parties admitted regret about the behaviors that caused the falling out. The parties re-agreed to a common set of rules, morals, codes of conduct that both felt were right and good. Both parties made sincere commitments to return to walking the right path. With those sincere commitments also came sincere forgiveness. This is an agreement to no longer hold those past deeds over the heads of each other.
For my own part, I regret not meeting face to face and eye to eye with the people who have upset me. I regret airing out my feelings in a public forum prior to talking with the others directly involved. I commit to keeping my mouth shut until I have spoken with the persons I am in conflict with. I regret listening to rumor and assuming it to be true. I commit to asking the person telling me the rumor to stop spreading rumors and going directly to the person involved and talking to them.
To all of the parties involved with the exile and the talked-about Ermine Company protest, I offer this apology, and I ask them to forgive me my sins and missteps.