Tuesday in the First Week

Isaiah 55:6-11; Psalm 34:15-22; Matthew 6:7-15

“Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.”

I must say I feel like a latecomer to forgiveness.  I thought I was forgiving, but the last few years have shown me how little I knew. 

I work with the Mastery Foundation, a group that fosters reconciliation and empowerment in contexts where religion is a source of division.  Much of their work has been in Northern Ireland and Israel/Palestine.  They also work in the United States, equipping and renewing those who serve others in religious contexts or out of faith commitments.  One of our central tools is forgiveness.  In the wake of the manifest division in the US this past year, we designed a workshop devoted to forgiveness.  We talk about why it matters, but more importantly we give people a chance to do it right there, through a straightforward process.  It is an amazing experience to be in a room with people who are becoming free right in front of you!  It’s sort of like . . . the reign of God.

That’s what forgiveness offers.  It is a gift to the person who is forgiven, but even more it is a gift we give ourselves when we forgive.  I release the anger and fear that keep me chained to the past.  I release the judgment that keeps me from seeing the other (or myself) as a whole human being.  I am free to see their gifts and wounds, as well as my own.  

This is not theorizing.  This is my experience.  This is the testimony of thousands of people who have forgiven: in South Africa, in Rwanda, in Belfast, in Jerusalem, in homes and communities across the country.  If you want stories, check out Why Forgive?  by Johann Christoph Arnold.

Being forgiven is a wonderful blessing.  But forgiving another is even more so.  And, as Jesus’ prayer teaches us, we will experience forgiveness in the measure we give it.

Forgive someone today.  Be specific: what are you forgiving them for?  Then ask yourself: Am I willing to forgive?  Am I willing to forgive completely?  Am I willing to forgive totally?  Am I willing to forgive unconditionally?  If the answer is no, pray for the willingness.  When the answer is yes, say it out loud.  Repeat as needed.

Do yourself a favor.  Forgive someone today.

P.S.: I will be leading a retreat on forgiveness for women in AA and Al-Anon in June.  Want to know more?  Write me.