ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
December 31, 2025
In Ephesians 4:32, we read, “…and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” Some will suggest that the words of the Apostle Paul are a bit idealistic. Yet I appreciate the words of Wendell Berry, who included in his book of poetry, “Leavings,” a wonderful piece simply entitled “A Letter to My Brother.” It begins,
Dear John,
You said “Treat your worst enemies
as if they could become your best friends.”
You were not the first to perpetrate
such an outrage, but you were right.
Try as we might, we cannot
unspring that trap. We can either
befriend our enemies or we can die
with them, in the absolute triumph
of the absolute horror constructed
by us to save us from them.
As we prepare to begin a new year, let us name the animosity and ill feelings we carry. And in doing so, let us recognize how they are more destructive to those of us who carry them than they are to the one to whom they are directed.
Teach us the way of forgiveness, O God of Mercy. We know its importance, but the how is where we often struggle. Amen.
