By: Our Reporter, Calabar
On the premise of the fallibility of natural man, many have the strong opinion that forgiveness of neighbor’s offences cannot be total.
However, Rev Fr Austin Asuquo of the St Anthony of Padua worship Center Basin Satellite town Calabar vehemently countered the perception with Biblical references during a sermon at a Holy Mass, Sunday.
He said that “God in His Divinity and Holiness has the ultimate powers to hold man accountable for misdeeds but out of mercy forgives sincerely and that man has been endowed with the same ability to forgive”.
“This ability he emphasize is the reason that man was given the charge to be compassionate and to forgive one another whole heartedly as a guarantee for God’s mercy.”
According to him,no man can claim holiness because of his fallable nature which hinders direct and seamless relationship with God and therefore should be able to exhibit sympathy towards everyone.
Fr Asuquo reiterated that no matter the efforts no one can live without sins which are committed daily consciously or unconsciously and unless one realizes that fact he would live in a fallacious paradise of holiness putting God to abominable challenge.
Referring to many Biblical portions he warned christians to regard God as Almighty and should not be denigrated as common among faithless ones to claim equality with God whose wrath is incomprehensible.
The Parish Administrator pointed that the prevalent unforgiving attitudes of man right from the family level has greatly culminated in the overwhelming crisis in the society and called for personal review of relationship with neighbors and by extention God.
Fr Asuquo concluded that man can only obtain graces from God if he is right with Him by forgiving his neighbors as it is a cardinal prerequisite to in turn be forgiven by God.
