Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD? Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins? If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins? Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin! Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.
REFLECTION
Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD?
Forgiveness is a decision of the will. For example, I will not seek revenge, I will not wish evil upon a particular person. We place this particular person and what happened in the hands of God. This is what we are supposed to do. So many examples of this kind of forgiveness, such as Pope St John Paul II, St Maria Goretti, St Stephen, Corrie ten Boom, Immaculée Ilibagiza and Erika Kirk. Jesus forgave from the Cross. Can we not do the same?
Some of us do not want to give up the emotions that go with forgiving someone.
If only that decision to forgive would magically erase grief, anger, disappointment, frustration or even bitterness. Our desire is to forgive, but the wound is still fresh, has not healed, and the memory returns, even years later. And so our journey continues, each time our emotions come back to haunt us, we continue with the journey from the standpoint from where we are and surrender again praying, "Lord, I forgive this person, but the pain is back again. Help me to forgive again from this place of pain".
"Seventy-seven times" takes on a different meaning when the emotions keep coming back. The grief needs to be grieved, the anger acknowledged and not buried, bitterness needs time to heal with grace from prayer and spiritual direction. Yet we are to forgive as Jesus did.
Remember, to forgive does not require us to forget, nor trust the person again, reconcile if unsafe or not cry out for justice. Only God can heal what we cannot heal ourselves.
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