Forgiveness

"[A]s the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do." Colossians 3:13

Years ago, I heard a great homily in mass on forgiveness. The priest said something that stood out to me: "If someone steals from me, and I run into him again sometime in the future, I will gladly hug him but will make sure that I keep my wallet in my front pocket."

I relayed this message to a friend recently. Forgiveness isn't really about forgetting; in reality, memories are hard to throw away. Instead, forgiveness is a cleansing action that releases us from the chains and bitterness that we experience based on prior hurts. It isn't really something we can do for ourselves, but rather, something God does for us.

One person, though, that we often forget to forgive is ourselves; we carry the weight of our mistakes in a little coffin we drag around day by day.

Helpful tip for the week: set aside a little time before Sunday and allow yourself to experience freedom from the weight of the past. Ask God to infuse your spirit with forgiveness, and throw some of that forgiveness your way for good measure.