Forgiveness has a cost

Veritas Vos Liberabit

Christ’s radical call to forgiveness is one of his most difficult teachings, both because it is usually misunderstood and because when it is properly understood, it is painful. Many people think that forgiveness means forgetting a sin or pretending as though there was no sin. We are told to “live and let live” or “you’re okay and I’m okay”. We’re not okay. People really do wound each other, sometimes seriously, and we can’t pretend that we haven’t been wounded.

The reality of what forgiveness looks like is portrayed powerfully in the movie “The Passion of the Christ.” If you haven’t seen the movie, please watch it this Lent. The way Mel Gibson depicts the story of the adulterous woman shows what forgiveness really looks like. In the movie, Gibson identifies the adulterous woman with Mary Magdalene, who stays right by Mary's side as they accompany Jesus throughout his Passion.

The only reason we know that Mary Magdalene is the same person as the adulterous woman is because of a flashback that happens after the Flagellation scene. Mary and Mary Magdalene are in the flagellation courtyard after all the soldiers have left. They see Jesus' blood on the paving stones. Mary takes some clean white linens, kneels down, and starts to wipe up the blood. A moment later, Magdalene kneels down to help. But instead of using one of the clean linens, Magdalene actually removes her veil and uses that to wipe up Jesus' blood. This is a way of showing how personal this gesture is for her. And in a moment, we find out why.