There are many things people do that hurt us, and things we do that wound others. Some are perhaps more obvious than others, and some are clearly worse. There are two things that I think it is important to remember:
1. There are no good sins.
2. Whatever wrong we do, even if it hurts no one else, even if it doesn’t seem to hurt us, we always hurt God. And, if we have been hurt, so has God.
Signs of Forgiveness
But, we also have to remember that sin, hate, and hurt do not have the last word. There is a bigger word that comes from love: forgiveness.
Forgiveness can take a long time, but the first step is a choice. It is a choice to forgive. That doesn’t mean it will automatically happen; it can take a long time, and we may think we have forgiven someone or something, only to discover another layer of hurt, more consequences, and the only way to keep going is to keep forgiving.
Forgiveness enables us to move on. It makes us free. Firstly, because it frees us from our own anger and hate. It gets us past hurt and self-pity. And secondly, because in freely choosing to forgive, we make good use of our freedom. In this way, we exercise our freedom, and just like anything else, the more we practice, the better we get. We become freer.
Finally, if (and when) we find it hard to forgive it is important to remember that God constantly forgives us and chooses to do so even though he knows that he will have to keep doing it over and over again. This is especially important when we are struggling to forgive ourselves.
A beautiful personal testimony on forgiveness from Margaret Mizen, whose 16-year-old son was murdered in 2008, will perhaps convince you more of the truth of this than anything I can say:
Questions For Discussion On Forgiveness
– If I wait until someone apologizes before I forgive them, what will this mean for me? For them? For my relationships with others?
– Jesus told us to forgive not just seven times but seventy times seven (Mt 18:21-22): are you keeping count?
– Is it harder to forgive ourselves or other people?
– Does forgiving just mean forgetting?
How To Talk To Your Teen About Pornography
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Imagine this: You stand outside your teen’s bedroom door. You knock a few times and there’s no answer. A few moments pass by and you knock again. All is quiet. You make an executive decision to enter the room. As the door opens, you find your teenager sitting down […]
Who Goes to Heaven and Who Goes to Hell? St. Athenagora’s (177 A.D.)
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly For if we believed that we should live only the present life, then we might be suspected of sinning, through being enslaved to flesh and blood, or overmastered by gain or carnal desire; but since we know that God is witness to what we think and what we say […]
The Lord heals the brokenhearted
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly This post is not an article, but a part of our gallery of images. You can share this image in your social media or you can click the “Download” button and send it to your friends. We only ask you to share it in its original version, without editing […]
3 Things To Do When You Mess Up According To A Saint
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Three Things To Do When You Mess “God wishes us to be meek even toward ourselves. When a person commits a fault, God certainly wishes him to humble himself, to be sorry for his sin, and to purpose never to fall into it again; but he does not wish […]
“The Burial”- A Catholic Review and Commentary on Race And Sin
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Fans of courtroom dramas might enjoy a new film, The Burial, released October 13 on Amazon Prime and is based on a true story of a legal battle between a hometown funeral director and a corporate funeral mogul. Jerry O’Keefe inherited the family chain of funeral homes in Mississippi from […]
Break The Conventions But Keep The Commandments | G.K. Chesterton
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly This post is not an article, but a part of our gallery of images. You can share this image in your social media or you can click the “Download” button and send it to your friends. We only ask you to share it in its original version, without editing […]
Visual Guide On How To Make A Good Confession
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Visual Guide On How To Make A Good Confession More Resources For Confession Subscribe To Our Weekly Newsletter!Our weekly email newsletter includes links to our seasonal content so you can stay connected to the Church’s liturgical seasons and find simple ways to celebrate them and grow in holiness. SUBSCRIBE! […]
7 Deadly Sins: Is Busyness A Form Of Sloth?
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Everyone seems to be doing something all the time. On one end of the spectrum, you have hustle culture, the “grindset,” calendar creep. On the other end, you’ve got gaming culture, binge-watching, and the infinite scroll. Maybe it’s just a little revenge bedtime procrastination, staying up late for some […]
What Did Bishop Fulton Sheen Say About Sin?
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Sin Fulton Sheen Subscribe To Our Weekly Newsletter!Our weekly email newsletter includes links to our seasonal content so you can stay connected to the Church’s liturgical seasons and find simple ways to celebrate them and grow in holiness. SUBSCRIBE! Thank you for subscribing!
What Did Jesus Actually Accomplish By Dying And Rising From The Dead?
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name…” Luke 24:35-48 What Did Jesus Actually Accomplish By Dying And Rising From The Dead? Most of us […]
