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by Allan Tigue Mt. 6:7-15 
“F or if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
One of the saints that I truly admire when we talk about forgiveness is St. Maria Goretti. She is called a martyr because she fought against her attacker, Alessandro Serenelli, when he attempted to assault her sexually.
However, the most important aspect of her story is her forgiveness of him. Her concern was for her enemy which extended beyond her death. She stated on her deathbed that she wanted to have Alessandro in heaven with her even after what he did to her.
Alessandro later repented and begged for forgiveness while in prison when one evening he dreamed that Maria Goretti gave him lilies, which burned immediately in his hands.
He reportedly prayed every day to her and referred to her as “my little saint.” In life, we must forgive to be forgiven. Jesus says in a number of times that in the same way as we judge others that we will be judged and the measure we use will be measured to us.
Is forgiveness hard? Yes it is. But God’s grace comes into our lives and gives us the power to forgive. By forgiving others, we are proving that we have accepted God’s forgiveness, and are living in it.
If we refuse to forgive those who harm us, we are showing that we have not really accepted God’s grace, and thus it is removed from us.
Friends, during this time of Lent, let us remember to forgive those who have hurt us because it is the best thing for us.
When we refuse to forgive, the bitterness grows like a cancer within us and eats away at us, causing stress and illness and lack of joy. We need to stop the pain and forgive.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, You told us not to be overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with good. May we always see Your light of forgiveness. And by Your grace, may we also forgive those have done us harm. Amen. |
