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?
Confessing Your Sins before Mass Goes Back to 50 AD!
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly In the church you shall acknowledge your transgressions, and you shall not come near for your prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life. . . . But every Lord’s day gather yourselves together and break bread and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that […]
How To Surrender Addictions And Sin Like Mary Magdalene
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly At one point in my life, I habitually judged and resented certain people. I have confessed it once, twice, and numerous times. Each time I felt His forgiveness, I would tell myself I would do better. “I can forgive and I will not judge.” Lo and behold, I saw […]
Anger: When Is It A Sin?
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Our first reading today comes from Sirach 27:30–28:7. Sirach is one of the deuterocanonical books, which are not included in Protestant Bibles due to historical reasons. However, these books were well known in Jesus’ time and were part of the broader scriptural tradition. Sirach is essentially a manual on […]
“It is necessary to confess our sins to those to whom the dispensation of God’s mysteries has been entrusted.”
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly It is necessary to confess our sins to those to whom the dispensation of God’s mysteries has been entrusted. Those doing penance of old are found to have done it before the saints. It is written in the Gospel that they confessed their sins to John the Baptist; but […]
It Was Pride That Turned Angels Into Devils | St. Augustine
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly It Was Pride That Turned Angels Into Devils | St. Augustine 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 […]
Practice Three Trivial Mortifications Every Day
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly “Because our needs are limited, but our wants are unlimited, a virtue is necessary to restrain our inordinate appetites and desires—and that virtue is called temperance. It has for its objective the regulation of the sensible appetites by reason. If we want to save our soul for eternity, we […]
How To Overcome The 7 Deadly Sins
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly How To Overcome The 7 Deadly Sins How To Overcome The Seven Deadly Sins 7 Deadly Sins Opposing Virtues Needed To Overcome Pride Humility Greed (Avarice) Generosity / Charity Envy Kindness Wrath (Anger) Patience Lust Chastity Gluttony Temperance Sloth (Acedia) Zeal Vices can be classified according to the virtues […]
No One In The World Can Change Truth
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly No one in the world can change Truth. What we can do and should do is to seek truth and to serve it when we have found it. The real conflict is the inner conflict. Beyond armies of occupation and the hetacombs of extermination camps, there are two irreconcilable […]
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 […]
6 Ways To Gain A Plenary Indulgence In The Year Of St. Joseph
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly 6 Ways To Gain A Plenary Indulgence In The Year Of St. Joseph Decree on Year of St. Joseph Indulgences The gift of special indulgences is granted on the occasion of the Year of Saint Joseph, summoned by Pope Francis to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the proclamation […]
