Steps Towards Forgiveness

Forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test. (Luke 11:4)

Honestly, for most of us, forgiveness is really a big and uncomfortable word. We pray for forgiveness daily, but we don’t try of forgive others or even ourselves. We, often, consider forgiving someone as condoning or ignoring their bad behavior, sort of giving them a free pass. There could be an underlying fear that forgiving someone who has wronged us will simply send a message that they can get away with this kind of behavior. You might recall the most recent case took place in Dallas courtroom where the teenage, Brandt Jean, brother of victim Botham Jean telling Amber Guyger, the former police officer convicted in Jean's murder, that "if you truly are sorry — I know I can speak for myself — I forgive you." The emotional embrace between the two went viral! When asked about how some people are slower to forgive, Brandt Jean said that "each and everyone has steps to get towards actually forgiving. I probably went through those faster.” This transformative moment teaches us something about Christian living that in the midst of hurt and pain, forgiveness is still possible. Through our forgiveness of others, we imitate the mercy and compassion of God on earth that we seek from our Lord in heaven when we pray “your kingdom come”. The kingdom of God is a kingdom of love and mercy. Let us take a look at people in our lives who have angered or hurt us and take a step forward to forgiveness, for in forgiving you are forgiven!

I invite you today to place your underlying fear at the feet of Jesus and ask Him to grant you courage to forgive just as He forgave you.

O Blessed Lady Mary, Mother of Mercy, intercede for us. Hail Mary full of grace…

Peace in Christ,
Father Vincent-Vuong Nguyen