East and West

 

For I will forgive their wickedness  and will remember their sins no more.   Hebrews 8:12

 

The writer Brennan Manning tells the story about a woman, who had been having visions of Jesus. And the local archbishop comes to find out more about this woman, who had been having these visions about Jesus – because we can’t have that. 

 

The archbishop says, “Have you been having visions about Jesus?”
 

The woman says, “Yes.” 

 

She does not back down, so the archbishop said, “Okay, here’s what I want you to do. 

 

Next time you have one of your visions of Jesus, I want you to ask Jesus a question.” 

 

“Okay,” the woman said.

“I want you to ask Jesus what sins I confessed the last time I went to confession.”

The woman said “Fair enough.” And the archbishop leaves.

A little while later, he hears rumors that she’s been having visions again about Jesus. So he returns to the woman and says, “Have you been having visions of Jesus again?”

And the woman says, “Yes. I’ve been having a vision about Jesus.”

And he says, “Well, did you remember?”

And the woman says to the archbishop, “Yes. I did remember.”

And then she took the archbishop’s hand in hers. And she said, “I asked Jesus what sins you confessed the last time you went to confession. And Jesus’s exact words were: 'I don’t remember.'"