“The one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” Jesus reverses the way I ordinarily think how things operate as expressed in I Peter 4:8: “love covers a multitude of sins.” From this perspective when we are people of love, the faults, failings, mistakes which characterize our lives are “covered” with the veil of God’s mercy. But Jesus says that forgiveness precedes love, that it is only because we know ourselves as forgiven that we are capable of love. Jesus understands that love can at times express our need whereas divine love is always about gift. Knowing that we are forgiven provides the secure foundation for our relationships. As those who have been loved and accepted just as we are (which is the heart of forgiveness) we in turn can love and accept others as they are. Jesus wove receiving and giving forgiveness into the “Lord’s Prayer” because that will make love possible.
