By REY FLORES
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
This has got to be the single most powerful plea, as well as an accord, to do God’s will when it comes to forgiveness. No wonder the Our Father is known as “The Lord’s Prayer.”
When God commands us to love one another as He loves us, He isn’t just kidding around. He means this as a command and not a request. When we fail to forgive one another, we fail to love one another.
The God we worship is a living and timeless God. He is the Alpha and the Omega. Like Him, His commands were not just words spoken in the past. He and His Commandments are not bound by chronological constructs of time. He and His commands were, are, and forever shall be; right here, right now.
We must remember that when we forgive, it does not necessarily mean that we condone the actions of those who hurt us. That isn’t what forgiveness means.
When we forgive, the burden is lifted from us. It is no longer, nor was it ever, about the other person. Forgiveness frees us from the bondage of fear, anger, and resentment. That cross is no longer one for us to bear.
Oftentimes we carry grudges and resentments around with us for years, failing to forgive, let alone forget, how others have trespassed against us. The failure to forgive does not hurt the person or persons we refuse to forgive. They are not the ones bearing that cross. We who do not forgive are the ones who primarily suffer.
One of the most incredible acts of forgiveness which I have observed in a few instances is when the family of a murder victim forgives the killer of their loved one. Whenever I come across a news story with this scenario, I am left in complete amazement.
“How can they forgive this person?” I ask myself. “How can they go on without avenging the murder of their loved one?” Only God is the avenger. We are not to play Charles Bronson, like a Death Wish-type of vigilante, either.
In the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 32, verse 35, the Lord says, “Revenge is mine, and I will repay them in due time.”
As I heard one Baptist preacher on the radio say one day, “Do you think you know God’s ‘kingdom business’ better than He does? Just because you think you do, doesn’t mean you do!”
It’s not just our personal transgressions against one another which we seek to forgive or be forgiven from. There is a societal lack of forgiveness which has today manifested itself in very ugly mutations of guilt, finger-pointing, and unjustified condemnations.
Based solely on the color of their skin, entire groups of people are being blamed for the transgressions of their ancestors. This twisted modern-day blame game has pitted Americans against one another in a deliberate effort by the globalist elites who want to divide and destroy our nation.
Therefore forgiveness is so powerful, not just in our own personal affairs, but on a global scale.
In today’s America, some black Americans want reparations for the transgressions of white Americans’ ancestors. Just because someone’s great, great granddaddy was a slave owner or a Confederate soldier doesn’t mean that his descendants must now make it up to the descendants of former slaves.
That’s just plain crazy, but again, it is part of a deliberate, nefarious effort to divide us against one another. This is the reality we live with today.
One of the greatest ironies, however, is how secular leftists, especially the bleeding-heart liberal “catholic” social-justice types, demand that illegal immigrants who were brought here illegally as babies, by their illegal parents, be forgiven and allowed to stay in our country
They’ll argue that it wasn’t the fault of these illegals whose parents were the transgressors. On the other hand, the same crazy liberals demand reparations from the ancestors of long-dead slave owners.
Yes, forgiveness can work wonders. Imagine if one person from the radical Black Lives Matter movement simply said, “Let’s forgive them.” Remember that we already said that forgiveness does not mean acceptance of the transgression; it simply means we are willing to free ourselves of that loathsome burden which consumes us mentally and spiritually.
I know that I have had to ask for forgiveness countless times in my life, and however long God wants me to stick around here on Earth, I’m sure I’ll be asking for forgiveness plenty more. But I’m trying not to screw up too badly anymore, thereby minimizing my need to apologize.
Are there people in your life you have not asked to forgive you? Are you still waiting for someone to ask you for forgiveness? I’m certain that we have both kinds of people in all our lives, those who fit either of these situations.
Then there are those who either seek not to forgive, nor expect to be forgiven. Those are probably the loneliest, most burdened people of all. I know a few like that in my life, but I do not hold that against them.
I have learned to forgive others, but there are still some folks I know and love who have not forgiven me. Yes, the person who chooses not to forgive is probably the more miserable one, but I would be lying if I said that it does not hurt when we are not forgiven.
One of the things I love about being a Catholic is the Sacrament of Confession. Reconciliation with our Lord is one of the greatest blessings we have because He forgives us. Why? Because He loves us.
He is showing us by example how we must forgive one another. His ocean of mercy is endless. Why can’t we share in this necessary act of forgiveness with one another more often?
Pray with me: “Oh, blood and water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, Jesus I trust in you.”
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(Rey Flores is a Catholic writer and speaker. Contact Rey at reyfloresusa@gmail.com.)
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