By Catholicism Editor, Faith Addington
“In the shadow of my hurt, forgiveness feels like a decision to reward my enemy. But in the shadow of the cross, forgiveness is merely a gift from one undeserving soul to another.” -Andy Stanley
Most are familiar with the common phrase from Matthew 18 in which Peter asks the Lord how frequently one should forgive. To this, Jesus responds, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” In accordance with these times, the figure Jesus told Peter does not ascribe to a fixed number, rather is an expression for infinity: something that should be continuous and never-ending. Just as the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness for us.
However, as said in the Lord’s prayer, our own forgiveness is dependent upon our ability to forgive those around us. When we fail to forgive those around us—falling into the temptation of frustration, irritation or distress at another’s actions—we allow ourselves to be imprisoned by the worst sin: pride. We begin believing, however indirectly, that our mistakes and sins aren’t as bad as our neighbors; in other words, our neighbor’s sins are inferior to our own. It’s an absurd notion, placing one’s sins above another, as if all sins aren’t a betrayal of our Lord.
There is a crucial distinction to be made between forgiveness and trust. While the Lord commands forgiveness immediately upon the transgression, He does not command trust. Trust takes time to build, whereas immediate forgiveness releases any bitterness that continues to reopen the wound.
Without a bit of introspection, it can be easy to conclude that since you and your friend have not fought in a month you, therefore, have nothing to forgive. However, there are hundreds of opportunities to practice the grace, patience, and humility required for immediate forgiveness. Any small comment, look, or action that causes a small sprout of bitterness to grow inside of you requires this forgiveness, because if left unchecked, it will grow and branch off into entirely new sins: annoyance to hate or disturbance to judgment. All of which descend into pride.
The Lord’s greatest commandment is to love; love the Lord your God with all of your being, and to love those around you. Through His crucifixion, Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice of love and forgiveness; he not only gave His life for his disciples and followers, but for those who placed Him upon the cross and prayed for them in His final moments. If Jesus can immediately forgive those who tortured and crucified Him, then we can forgive others who have done far less to us. God’s forgiveness is for those who want it badly enough to imitate the sacrifice of Christ by loving others unconditionally.
The Saint 