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Verse:If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. —1 John 1:9
In May 2008, my wife and I visited the famous Canossa Castle in northern Italy on a sunny spring day. There I had an unplanned interview with Mario Bernabei, author of the book Matilde e il castello di Canossa (Matilda and the Canossa Castle).
He highlighted some details about the relationship between the Countess Matilda of Canossa and Pope Gregory VII, including the humiliating way the pope treated Henry IV, king of the German Empire. In contrast to the nice weather we were having that day, Henry IV arrived during the winter of 1076–1077, one of the coldest ever in that region. Having insulted the pope and rebelled against him, Henry was declared excommunicated and deposed from the throne by the pope. Knowing that the pope was visiting the castle, Henry went there to seek his forgiveness. Instead of welcoming the king into the warm castle, the pope left him outside for three days, January 26–28, 1077.
Henry spent those three dyas in the snow, fasting, barefoot, humbly dressed, and his head uncovered. After this most severe penance, the pope finally admitted the king to his presence and granted him forgiveness.
Over the centuries, Canossa has been recognized as a symbol of the Church of Rome’s claim to temporal supremacy and the acknowledgment of it by a powerful state head. But what other lessons can be drawn from this incident? Some have noted the contrast between Gregory VII, a proud and arrogant alleged head of Christianity, and Christ, the humble and merciful true head of the church.
Can you imagine if Christ treated us as the pope treated King Henry? Whatever your sins, remember that no sin can escape the promise of 1 John 1:9—“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” But what about the unpardonable sin mentioned in Matthew 12:31, 32, and Mark 3:28, 29? This sin is precisely the unwillingness to “confess our sins.” But the beauty of salvation by grace through faith is that no repented and confessed sin remains unforgiven! This promise is for you and for me, and we should claim it right now.