Dear friends,

Wise people say, "Those who do not forgive break the bridge on which they have to pass." This is because everyone needs forgiveness. In response to Peter's question, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?"Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times." (Mathew 18:21-22)

Jesus reminds us that forgiveness has no limit. We are called not to keep count of how many times we forgive, but to forgive with the same mercy God continually shows us. In this weekend's Gospel Jesus entrusted the power to forgive to the Church through Peter when he said, "And I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Mathew 16:18-19)

Forgiveness does not mean that what happened was acceptable; it means choosing not to let anger and resentment control our hearts. As God forgives us, may we also learn to forgive others. In our daily lives misunderstandings and conflicts can easily arise within families, friendships, associations, workplaces, and even our faith communities. We may be tempted to talk about someone's faults with others before having the courage to speak to the person directly.

Forgiveness confronts the Ego. It requires relinquishing control over the moral outcomes of others, challenging our instincts for self-protection. It is not a call to ignore injustice but to imitate God's way of handling injustice. Forgiveness is not denial of wrong but acknowledgment that justice belongs to God. (Romans 11:19)

Jesus does not tell us to ignore wrongdoing, and neither does He encourage us to shame or publicly condemn those who have fallen. Brotherly and sisterly correction must be guided by love, humility, and a genuine desire for reconciliation. "Forgive people in your life, even those who are not sorry for their actions. Holding on to anger only hurts you, not them."

Because the Lord is merciful with us, so we must be merciful with others. Dear friend in Christ, unforgiveness is a form of spiritual rebellion because it contradicts God's character and rejects the logic of the cross: When dying on the cross for us, Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)

To refuse forgiveness is to refuse participation in God's mercy. A heart unwilling to forgive remains inwardly exiled, even if externally religious. By refusing to forgive, we claim God's prerogative, but when we forgive, we participate in God's nature. When you forgive, forgive fully and from the heart.

I pray and hope this reflection will help us to constantly examine ourselves, whether we live as people marked by mercy and willing to forgive, letting go of our misunderstandings with one another so as to prove we are children of a God who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in Love, or we are simply actors whose attitudes do not qualify what we profess.

The Lord is good to all, and therefore we must emulate Him, who is our Creator and Father. To forgive is godly and not to forgive is absurd. The one who forgives enters freedom; the one who refuses to forgive remains in bondage, chaining himself or herself with fetters of iron to the person he or she has refused to forgive.

May the Lord free our hearts from resistance to His saving word. Remove from us every form of unforgiveness that keeps us distant from each other and from experiencing the Lord's presence in our midst. May God grant us the humility to forgive each other as He has forgiven us in Christ His Son and transform our hearts so that mercy becomes our natural disposition. May He make us living witnesses of true compassion in a world wounded by indifference, anger, and resentment. Amen.

Jesus, I trust in you.
Jesus, I trust in you.
Jesus, I trust in you.

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