Forgiveness: Good to the Last Drop

Two things that keep this lady ticking: Jesus & Coffee. It’s how I start every morning: a cup of Maxwell House and time with Jesus. One fills my corporal need for caffeine, the Other filling my heart with love. As I take out my coffee, the words on the Maxwell House can strike me as I am preparing my java to accompany my morning prayer: “Good to the last drop.” 

As I went to prayer this morning, I brought to the Lord a sorrowful heart, a heart that had been wounded by some individuals that I’m close to.  As I looked up at the image of Divine Mercy that hung in my living room, I looked upon the Blood and Water flowing from Jesus side, and I heard these words beckoning from His pierced side… “good to the Last Drop.” ​

Jesus was trying to teach me about forgiveness, and what it should look like.  We are called to forgive as He forgives.  As St. Paul wrote,  “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you." -Colossians 3:13.

"Forgive as the Lord forgave you."  How did the Lord forgive? He gave every SINGLE drop of His Blood for the forgiveness of our sins. His forgiveness was a total self-emptying. It was humiliating, it was exhausting, it was every last ounce of forgiveness He could give.  After He had offered up His spirit, He gave Divine Mercy, still offering forgiveness at the last moment… it was good to the very last drop. 

At the Cross, we saw one prisoner next to Jesus, St. Dismas, asking for forgiveness. This was a humbling thing for him to do. He recognized his sins before God and Jesus promised him paradise that very day. The other prisoner turned his back on Jesus and stayed in his pride. This scene shows us that forgiveness and mercy are keys to the heavenly kingdom.

​In our Catholic faith, we are given the gift of Confession to humble ourselves and cry out to the Lord for mercy.  Confession, like espresso,  is the shot of grace we need to wake up our souls to fight the evils of sin. Confession is pure, powerful, and fills our souls with abundant grace.

Jesus gives us the command to forgive our enemies, as if that is the hardest thing to do. I sometimes come to find that it is harder to forgive the wounds inflicted upon us by those we love than those from whom I am not close with. With loved ones, the wounds cut deeper. The pain is harder to just get over or ignore.  However, when we are asked for forgiveness, we need to be able to give it as Jesus gave, completely and without reserve. ​

I’m sure that many of us have heard the phrase at one time or another, “To err is human, to forgive divine.” This phrase by Alexander Pope gets to the heart of forgiveness. Because of our human nature, we will sin. We will cause hurt, and be hurt by others.  To stay angry, bitter, or resentful is to stay in our misery and to block out mercy.  Forgiveness and mercy are the things of heaven.

​Both by giving forgiveness and asking for it, we are allowing the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the Cross to be before our eyes. We are defeating death, the devil, and the powers of hell when we utter these simple but powerful words, “I forgive you” or “Do you forgive me?”

Let our forgiveness be as Christ’s… good until the last drop. 

About the Author

Jennifer Nelson lives in New Jersey with her husband and kids.  When not homeschooling, playing trucks, or working on projects for their family ministry, she is most likely longing for a nap or some form of coffee or chocolate.  You can follow and find more about her family ministry, A Divine Mercy Encounter, here.