First Word

When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals--one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. (Lk 23:33-34)


Who have you crucified?   
Nobody? Come on…

What’s the maddest you’ve ever been?
– so mad it scared you and you try to forget about it?
Who did you turn on?
What did you do to them?
Have you ever talked about it since?

Who has most deeply offended and disappointed you?A teacher? Public official? Sports figure? The president? A priest?
What did they do? Or at least… what was the accusation? (In public opinion court, it’s the same thing…) Did they molest a child, embezzle money, have an affair? … or in some other way not live up to expectations?
What was the response of the community? of the news?
And where were you in the mix? Did you shoot your arrows with the rest – or were you out front yelling ‘fire!’, doing “a dirty job that somebody’s gotta do.”

What about the time you were accused…
when they needed the blame to fit somebody, and you were called in to answer.
“So, who was responsible for this?”
Even if it wasn’t you, who did you throw under the bus?

If not any of these, there are always sins of omission...
failing to render aid…
Whose trouble have you so successfully looked past, ignored so that it’s just annoying background noise?

Not our finest hour – any of these.

And from up there, he has seen it all.

But we can join his gracious prayer: Father, forgive me… I didn't know what I was doing.

First Word

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Can you think of a time when you did something to someone that had unintended bad effects?
Playing a joke, it hit somebody the wrong way...
Or, being mad, saying something that seemed totally warranted - but then watching the other person's face crumple, and you really had no idea it would hurt them like that...
Or worse, knowing it would hurt them like that, and saying it anyway - because it would hurt - and then, seeing how much it hurt, a lot of regret...

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..."

Some of the answers can be pretty harsh:
"Well, you didn't mean to to!" I'm sorry...
"Sorry's not good enough!"

But here, there's a different response.
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Even before people could realize what they had done, Jesus was understanding them and accepting them, and wanting God to be gentle with them. He didn't ask for justice; he didn't want to be vindicated, for God to get them back - to make them suffer like he was suffering, so they'd know what it felt like - so they'd know what they had done.
How could they know, really, what they had done? How could they have any idea?

When they did start to realize it and came to God with their apologies and their grief and their sorrow, God listened - and he didn't say, "Sorry's not good enough!"

In confession, we come to God and say, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to... I didn't realize..."

and God looks at Jesus and then back at us and says, "I know."