Dear friends, often we hear this word, please forgive and forget. Can we actually forget a wrong done to us? It is not possible because forgiveness is the most difficult aspect of a human person. Lack of forgiveness makes us miserable and wicked.
Anyone who cannot forgive could be classified as a witch or a wizard, because unforgiveness could make us do the unimaginable. It could drive us to revenge and remorse. However, Forgiveness is an act of letting go the wrong that another person had done to us. Yes it is possible to forgive but to forget never, because the human mind is built on memory and this memory is triggered by events.
Today in the gospel, Peter came to Jesus and ask, “Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:21-19:1). Jesus knew that to forgive is never easy, yet He wanted Peter to know the importance of forgiveness. That was why He told His audience about the parable of the unforgiven servant. This servant was forgiven a great debt owed by him to his master, yet he could not forgive a little debt owed to him by another servant. What a ridiculous act of wickedness?
Forgiveness is very important in the life of everyone who believes in Jesus, because it relieves us of guilt and pains and allows us to live our lives free from hate. It helps us to live freely with one another, though we may not have forgotten the wrong that was done to us. To forgive others, we must first be able to forgive ourselves, because there are those who cannot even forgive themselves, talk of forgiving others.
Do we struggle with unforgiveness? For anyone who is in Christ, living in unforgiveness is nothing short of hypocrisy. But Jesus has provided forgiveness for each person’s insurmountable debt of sin. Therefore, God calls us to forgive one another as Christ forgave us.
What are the subtle and obvious ways that we treat people whom we are struggling to forgive? Do we ghost them? Ignore or avoid them? What has God forgiven us of our sins? If God has forgiven us why are we still holding grudges on those who hurt us? Let us be honest with ourselves, forgiveness is never easy to deal with. It takes courage and love to forgive someone.
When we harbour grudges and pain, we continue to put ourselves in bondage of those who have hurt us. We need to break out of that bondage by forgiving them today. Let us ask ourselves, against whom do we harbour unforgiveness? What steps are we taking in forgiving them? As we remember our sins, let us take time to pray for those who have sinned against us and remember that despite the weight of our sins God still forgive us.
If God could forgive us why can we not forgive those who offend us? The parable of the unforgiven servant tells us an example of what will happen to those who do not forgive others. Let us continue to pray the words of the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us” (Mt 6:12). This will help us to understand the necessity of forgiveness. Peace be with you.
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