StartForgiving.com Step Nine: Don’t Turn Back Forgiveness isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon. It’s a long, hard journey, and we can’t expect to reach our destination quickly. At times, we may feel like giving up. It may seem as if we’re taking one step forward and two steps back! But we need to keep going and persevere in putting one foot in front of the other. Consider Jesus: he pressed on to Jerusalem, knowing that there he would carry the cross and then be nailed to it. But he knew also that his journey would end in resurrection. There’s hope for us at the end of our journey, too.
Forgiveness is to love like God. It is the fruit of grace which has enlarged our hearts and purified our minds. It happens when we pray. Following are three short Biblical reflections from the book Cherished by the Lord: 100 Meditations. Take your time with these reflections. Let yourself sit with their message. Pay attention to the feelings they evoke within you. Little by little, give the Word of God more space within you. Meditation 46 Transforming disaster into life
After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, “Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.”...“Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.” Jn 13:21, 25–27 “Do quickly what you are going to do.” It is instinctive for humans to seek to preserve their life. We marvel at and give honors to persons who put their life in jeopardy to save another. In this Gospel passage, Jesus steps out of the very human pattern of self-preservation and we almost miss it. Jesus sees the dark clouds gathering on the horizon. Yet Jesus gives Judas permission to leave the table and go into the night to accomplish the plans he harbors in his heart. Jesus lets him go. No persuasion to change his mind. No last-minute attempts to win Judas over. No underhanded statements to alert the other apostles to StartForgiving Process Step Nine. Based on Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach Page 1 StartForgiving.com © Daughters of St. Paul. This can be copied freely. www.pauline.org