This week, all the readings share the common theme of forgiveness and healing. Yet, the initial point that stuck me was something related, but a bit more subtle; that is where I will focus my reflection. In the first reading, the Lord tells that He will remember our sins no more. This notion that God forgets our sins as well as forgiving them is something that I have been taught since grade school, but not something I think about often. However, just a few weeks ago I heard a story about this that really stuck with me and made this concept take shape. The story was about St Margaret Mary Alacoque, who thought she had visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She went to her confessor, a Jesuit, St Claude de la Colombiere, in order to verify her visions. To ensure the visions were authentic, he had to ask something that only Jesus could know: he told her that next time the vision appeared, to ask what was the last mortal sin she had confessed. She asked, and He responded, “I don’t remember.” And that was how St Claude knew the visions were genuine.

When I first heard the story, I though that the test had failed! It seems so counterintuitive, and yet that is the beauty of it. It is a hard concept for us to grasp. I can think of a few times where I have been deeply hurt by others, and although I have forgiven them and we both have moved on, we both can remember what happened in the past. Not so with God. God forgives us so fully that it is as if we have never sinned at all. Actually, for a long time I always thought that was a little weird—if God is perfect, why does he forget or how could he even forget? He has a perfect memory! But really, once I take a step back and think about it, it makes sense this must be the case (and also that ‘to forget’ is not a very accurate way to imagine it). God exists outside of time, and indeed, our souls do as well. The notions of past, present, and future do not hold meaning when the frame of reference is all eternity. When God forgives us, He forgives us—rather, forgives our souls— for that error for all time. We need only ask Him with a contrite heart and in His love for us, He grants our request. And that is something that He will never forget.