On forgiveness

As the rallies continue, supporters of the Marcoses advance their arguments in defense of the late dictator’s burial in the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB). A rather common argument is that of forgiveness.

For sympathizers of the Marcoses, it goes without saying that, as a predominantly Christian country, we have to be forgiving. Without hesitation, die-hard fans of the late dictator would quote passages from Scripture just to support their belief that former president Ferdinand Marcos deserves his lot in the heroes’ cemetery.

Given that the argument is apparently of religious color, it would be helpful to re-examine the idea of forgiveness and once more ask whether it would be sound to allow Marcos’s burial in the LNMB on the basis of forgiveness.

Scripture scholars no longer question that forgiveness is a Divine directive. “To err is human, to forgive is Divine” so the saying goes.

But biblical interpreters also tell us that forgiveness presupposes the sinner’s admission of his faults or failures. One biblical commentator, in his interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer, says, “the confession of the debt was enough to ensure its remission, and then there was to come the willing service of a grateful love instead of the vain attempt.”

“Vain attempt at forgiveness” refers to what the hypocrites of Jesus’s time did. Hypocrisy happens when one speaks about forgiveness apart from restitution or reparation. No less than the great reformer John Calvin said: “Christ does not order us to grant forgiveness, till the offender turn to us and give evidence of repentance.”

And because the Year of Mercy just ended a few weeks ago, some pro-Marcos individuals would not miss to invoke Pope Francis and his teachings on mercy in order to defend the controversial burial. However, we should examine the unexplored areas of the Pope’s teaching before we become too dishonest and selective in our arguments.

In paragraph 20 of “Misericordiae Vultus” (the Papal Bull of the Jubilee Year of Mercy), the Pope says that justice and mercy “are not two contradictory realities, but two dimensions of a single reality that unfolds progressively until it culminates in the fullness of love.”

Pope Francis further adds that justice “is a fundamental concept for civil society, which is meant to be governed by the rule of law. Justice is also understood as that which is rightly due to each individual.” And if mercy is biblical, so is justice:

“[I]n the Bible, there are many references to divine justice and to God as ‘judge.’ In these passages, justice is understood as the full observance of the Law and the behavior of every good Israelite in conformity with God’s commandments.”

There is no question that a Christian should always be ready to love and forgive but the Pope is quick to remind: “this does not mean that justice should be devalued or rendered superfluous” (“Misericordiae Vultus,” 21). The same document reminds Christians that “on the contrary: anyone who makes a mistake must pay the price” this being the beginning of any conversion.

A truly forgiving Christian therefore does not deny justice but begins with it. He forgives but also ensures that what is due is always given because it is the foundation of any human relationship.

Those who favor, therefore, Ferdinand E. Marcos’s burial in the LNMB should also push for more serious clarifications and re-investigations of his offenses to the Filipino people. They must support the processes that seek to recover the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family. They should fight for a more speedy resolution of the cases involving human rights abuses.

If indeed Marcos deserves forgiveness, there must first be an admission by his family. From a Christian perspective however, and faithful to the teaching of Scripture, the family of the late dictator should do all that they can to reach out to the victims of Martial Law. They must admit before the Filipino people, their crimes and violations.

Unless these are done, the whole argument of forgiveness is meaningless and empty. We cannot but be sorry for all those who allow themselves to be carried by the vain emotionalism of the Marcos supporters.

To invoke forgiveness without readiness for genuine reparation is not only illogical but a misuse and abuse of an attribute that ultimately belongs to God. Those who think along the same line are themselves guilty of dishonesty for using forgiveness in order to advance their blind political convictions.-- from Rhoderick John S. Abellanosa