Let us Talk Forgiveness

Life has taught us that an unforgiving life is not worth living. To forgive hurts done to us is not only a Christian way of life; it is the only way to live. Christ has taught us in so many ways that we cannot be his followers without forgiving those who have hurt us. He shows us how to forgive by forgiving those who hurt Him. He prayed for them. “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”, (Lk. 23:34). In the only prayer that Christ taught us – Our Father – He made it very clear that “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions”, (Mt. 6:1-14). In Mark 11:25 Christ warns, “When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgression”. Whatever way forgiveness is understood, it is the foundation and at the heart of our lives as Christians. We have to identify our hurt and sincerely seek divine forgiveness. It may also be necessary for us to ask for forgiveness from those who may have been the objects of our transgressions.

I often imagine a world as envisioned by Prophet Isaiah where: “The wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair; there shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain”, (Isaiah 11:6-9). Unfortunately our world is filled with hatred, pain, dissension and civil strife. I am saddened when I notice children born into circumstances where they cannot grow to their full maturity and potentials. These children are injured, broken, abused, traumatized, ill-treated and maltreated by those they loved and trusted. With their stifled growth and broken world they, as young adults and later as adults, often take an easy way out in their desire to escape into utopian world. They use drugs, alcohol, sex or all other means to drug or numb their pains, isolation, fears and loneliness. Many take to a destructive life and anti-social behaviors that would cause friction and discontentment in the society at large. Because young people do not pay heed to life’s lessons when faced with conditions of their brokenness they automatically hate them. They run like a roster with its head chopped off and flap their wings here and there struggling for survival.  They feel they have to soften it, pad it with something, and they become addicted to whatever it is that seems to ease their pain. Sooner than later these miscreants are imprisoned by their habits and there is no escape. In order to satisfy their inordinate desires and inclinations, unacceptable behaviors are often committed and when society can tolerate it no longer they are whisked out of society into jails where they are hardened the more by isolation and stigmatization.

In order for these individuals to recapture their full potentials, in my opinion, it is imperative for them to seek to reconnect with their past. And this is where forgiveness comes in. People who are broken cannot be healed of their brokenness without reflection, counsel and prayers. From prayer comes the need for closure, acceptance, forgiveness and reconciliation if the individuals intend to live a normal life. Life has taught us that forgiveness is the key to unlock the door to a worthy life. In the next blog I will reflect on the three dimensions of forgiveness: (i) forgiveness of self, (ii) forgiveness of others, (iii) forgiveness of God. Remember to err is human but to forgive is divine.