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Twenty years ago, I was in a difficult and trying situation. The details are not important, but what is important is that in my mind, I was treated unfairly, and I was deeply hurt. What’s more, I could not forgive the people who were treating me so poorly. It’s not as if I hated them or wished them harm. I was just hurting too much to forgive. More »
In one of his lesser-known yet very moving parables, Jesus told the story of a servant whose master had forgiven him a huge debt of money (Matthew 18:23-35). More »
When Peter asked Jesus how many times he had to forgive someone who sinned against him, Jesus told him, “seventy-seven times,” a Semitic way of saying something like “every time, every day, for the rest of your life” (Matthew 18:21). But sometimes the pain of what has happened to us is so deep that we wonder if we will ever be able to forgive. More »
So far, we have been looking at steps that will help us feel free enough to forgive the people who have hurt us. Now we want to look at why Jesus asks us to forgive. We also want to look at the Sacrament of Reconciliation and how examining our consciences and confessing our own sins can actually help us become more forgiving. More »
Jim and his father had been estranged for a long time. More »
“Then Peter approaching asked him, ‘Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.’ ” (Matthew 18:21–22) More »
Joy is the second of the twelve “fruits of the Holy Spirit,” after charity, and yet we have many examples of sad, resolute, and suffering saints. Fortunately, there are also joyful and laughing saints. Philip Neri had a great sense of humor. Teresa of Avila famously said, “God deliver us from sour-faced saints” as she led her Carmelite sisters in dance. More »
When Jesus taught his disciples the Our Father, he elaborated on only one of the petitions—the one on forgiveness: “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” (Matthew 6:14-15). More »
When you make a huge mistake, it’s easy to think that everything is over. But that’s just not true. By God’s grace, there is a rescue plan for each of us. If we open our hearts and minds to it, God can work through our mistakes and even bring good out of them. More »