Yesterday

Christmas at the Bay NZ 2008



Yesterday’s Paper

Yesterday’s paper is not news any more. Yesterday is past and cannot be changed. Yet, the past has its effect on the now. In my life I had to face many challenges, many choices, many attacks and many promises. Many people, some friendly, some dangerous, some helpful, some jealous, and some critical have influenced my life.

Today may look like today’s paper, but often is like yesterday’s, a repeat of what happened yesterday. I send e-mails to people to explain certain decisions of mine and to tell the circumstances in which I took these decisions. Some of the people may criticise my decisions, but they cannot change the circumstances, because these are facts of the past. No matter I repeat my story, they explain it differently. All this causes conflict, pain, hurts, tension and disharmony is our relationship. What must I do?
Ignore? Tolerate? Accept? Give in? Forgive? Forget? Repress? Let go?

I decide on letting go and remember a story about it. Here it is:

"LETTING GO 0F WHAT PEOPLE OWE US: FORGIVENESS F&L 2004

Exodus

We are at the end of Lent. 2004
The 40 days of Lent remind us of the 40 years the Jewish people spent walking through the desert.
Moses was called by God to liberate his people from the slavery in Egypt.
Instead of being grateful many Jews were often unfaithful. They were angry with God because they could not find food in the desert. They murmured against God and lost trust in Him.
Some made a cow out of bronze and worshipped it.
Others worshipped riches or comfort, Power or success.
Most were discouraged to worship the true God. They just lost hope.
What made them oppressed, unfaithful and forgetting?
God’s call to change their hearts?
But God was still walking with them, watching over them, guiding them and caring for them.
He nourished them with manna sent from Heaven.
God is also saving us, forgiving us as He forgave the people in the Desert."

A New Exodus 2008

God is changing our hearts and liberating us. He calls us to forgive each other:
How?
Here in New Zealand we hear of people who are accused of things that are never proved to be true. Whether that is based on ignorance or prejudice is hard to tell, but it is still very painful for the people concerned. I myself have experienced false accusations many times in my life. Even when I was in primary school I felt that once. But then it was in the form of bullying. It was always difficult to prove that you were innocent, because people in charge saw it as a criticism. In the times when I was in the seminary and also after I was ordained, in Holland and New Zealand, false accusations came my way. I sympathise with people who are in similar positions. Not much you can do to defend yourself when the accusers are not able or refuse to see your point of view. We have to ask for forgiveness when the church (all of us) has failed by ruling through fear instead of leading through compassion and by piling up rules, causing unbearable stress and guilt feelings.

So, on behalf of the church I ask your forgiveness for showing lack of love and understanding of people’s situations.
God calls us to forgive. In practise, not to be angry because people do not give us what we expected and not to ignore people or refuse to talk to them. In other words, let go of the anger and replace it by peace.

THE LOVE OF GOD CALLS US BACK TO FORGIVE.

Forgiveness is according Jean Vanier, founder of Faith and Light,
the greatest gift of the Father to humanity.
Let us give a sign of peace or forgiveness to each other.
Let me quote from Jean Vanier.
"If you and I seek today to live peace, to be peace-maker, to help create communities of peace, it is not just to seek success. If we find peace, live and work for peace, even if we see no tangible results, we can become fully human beings, walking together on the road of kindness, compassion, and peace. New Hope is born".

I just finished another painting, a scene of Porirua on Christmas morning.
The nativity of baby Jesus happened in one of the boatsheds of Titahi Bay. During a Christmas party in the new Sports Arena I saw a Christmas tree decorated by the pupils of local St Pius X School on the bottom of which they had put a row of boatsheds. In one of them I saw the Nativity scene. That was the inspiration for my painting: under the dark clouds of today’s crisis a rising sun gives light to the land with worrying people. The light of the child in the manger illuminates the whole world, driving away anger, false accusations, resentfulness and oppression, but giving us hope and the gift of honest conversation and real hospitality.

Good News for today’s paper
And quiet sleep for the Baby.

A peaceful Christmas to you all

Fr John Heijnen, 15.12.08