Frogiveness of sins? does God change his mind? - 27th week Tuesday 2013

We continue our reflection on the 12 articles of the creed and we are now on the tenth article where in we profess saying, I believe in the forgiveness of sins.  We believe in the forgiveness of sins.  Have you ever spent time just reflecting silently on this article of the faith?  Did you ever ask yourself the question, do I believe that my sins are forgiven, do I believe, really believe that God forgives my sins, Do I believe that God forgive also the sins of others?  Sometimes we take it for granted perhaps, that God forgives us.  But many times it may be a scandal to us that God forgives others too especially those we find difficult forgiving.

You know this is what scholars of the bible are referring to when they ask the question, does God change his mind?  Gina-islan man bala sang Ginoo ang iya pensar.  halimbawa gusto na niya i-punish ang mga makasasala, ginhambal na niya ang iya luyag buhaton sa sini nga sahi sang mga tawo adjust ta, naghinulsol sila, nagliso sila, they were converted, they said sorry, can God change his mind about what he intends to do to this people?  Again we may take this question for granted but this is the problem which the Book of Jonah, our first reading was trying to solve and understand.  Our first reading says, “When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.”  God repented of the evil he intended to do.  Tomorrow if you are going to to mass you will listen to the continuation of this reading and you will be surprised whn the reading says, Jonah was displeased with God because of this, he became angry with God for changing his mind and not punishing Niniveh as he intended to do.  Imagin, naakig si Jonah kag wala ni God ginguba ang Niniveh kag naghinulsol sila.  Tani happy si Jonah kay epektibo ang iya pagwali – nagliso sila, naghinulsol sila. Ako tatlo na ko di ka tuig nga wali ambot kon may naliso gid man ako?  Pero si Jonah isa lang ka adlaw.  He should be happy.  But no.  Jonah was mad because God changed his mind about Niniveh.  Does God change his mind?  A beautiful question for it is a question at the very heart of the tenth article – I believe in the forgiveness of sins.  Do you believe in your heart that God will change his mind about you?  Do you believe in your heart that God will change his mind about people we thought incorrigible, people we think unforgivable, people we would like to think evil to the core?  Can God change his mind about them?

In the Catholic faith there are two kinds of water by which our sins are forgiven, and what are these?  - water in the sacrament of Baptism and the water of our tears in the sacrament of penance.  We will reflect on this next week.