WhyForgive

Week 2 Why Forgive?

Let’s be honest: forgiveness is hard. When we’ve been hurt, especially deeply, extending the gift of forgiveness is quite possibly the last thing we want to do. We’re angry. Forgiveness doesn’t seem fair. We don’t think that the one who hurt us deserves it, and we fear that forgiving would let him or her “off the hook.”

So why should we bother? This is a good and honest question, and we can answer it in three ways: We forgive for ourselves, we forgive for others, and we forgive for God. We forgive for ourselves, because by so doing we free ourselves from the bitterness and resentment that can ruin our health, sour our relationships, and strain our friendship with God. We also forgive for others, because by so doing we demonstrate that true forgiveness is possible, add light to a darkened world, and refrain from taking an “eye for an eye”- an approach which ultimately leaves everyone blind.

Finally, we forgive for God, because by so doing we glorify his name, and extend his mercy, compassion, and love to those who may never have encountered it before. Forgiveness is, truly, an act of evangelization.

Mother Teresa summed it up well: “If we really want to love, we must learn how to forgive.”

This week, read chapters 2, 3, and 4 of Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach.

Ask yourself:  How would my relationships change if I could let go each day’s conflicts before falling asleep at night?