Forgiveness

[WanderAimlessly]

Forgiveness.

O how hard is it to do that these days. It seems that we are offended at the least little thing and will not forgive the offender.

In Tuesday’ss Gospel reading, in response to Peter’s question about forgiving, Jesus says “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” In some translations, this is “seven times seventy” and represents God’s limitless forgiveness.

Why should we forgive? The answer can be found in the prayer that Jesus taught us, the Lords Prayer. In the Lords Prayer, it says “and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those whose trespass against us”. This means that the way we forgive others will be key on how we are forgiven by God.

Remember this the next time you are offended. Forgiving your offender will bring you closer the goal of eternal life in heaven.
O Lord,
Open our hearts to forgive others as freely
as you give us your forgiveness
for sins against your Word.

 

[serendipity]

It’s kind of tricky business though, forgiveness. It is so easy for me to sit hear and believe that I sincerely and successfully have forgiven some one whom I rarely see, and then I see him and I realize that maybe I was wrong about being so successful.

 

[Highwayman]

I fell that I have forgiven my father for years of rage and beatings as I was growing up. It is also true that I often remember and feel that pain and sadness as if it where yesterday and decades of time and consoling still can not take away the tears that come in talking about it. It was hard for me to be a father to my children and as much as I tried in many ways the end result of my effort was worse than my father’s because all of his children have keep the faith and are still in the Church but none of mine are. I keep praying and seeking God’s help and healing and only moments of hope keep me going. God Bless

 

[Mamamull]

Yep, I have a person that I haven’t expressed my forgiveness to. I have sat on this for almost five years. It took me a little while to forgive – it happened at a terrible time in my life – basically my cousin wanted marital advice to rant about her husband the day before we were to have my seven year old daughter’s funeral. It was a sudden and unexpected death so I was really reeling from shock and grief.

I know that she and her husband were having their individual troubles because each has major grief issues they haven’t dealt with. Still, I just couldn’t forgive her without repairing myself – through the grace of God and the help our Blessed Mother.

I have to write her a letter, but… I postpone and ignore my need to take action. The best I have done is to send her Christmas cards that past two years. Big deal – it isn’t much, I know.

There, of course, is more to it, but I just don’t miss having her in my life. That I guess is part of my delaying tactics. Why make up to someone I wouldn’t be friends with except that we are related.