Thoughts on forgiveness

 

The Art and Heart of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is not a feeling. It is a decision, an act of the will, a resolution, a firm choice to free ourselves from the continued influence and control of the adversary. As we deliberately and intentionally walk the footpath beyond the ego’s injury, we find ourselves being blessed with spiritual maturity: Wounds are often the womb of wisdom. Because forgiveness is a process and our hearts are finicky, we might be tempted to revisit the scene of the crime and throw another log on the fires of fury. When that occurs, we remind ourselves that we have made the rational decision to pardon and get on with life. We recommit to the decision. With every recommitment to forgiveness, we take another step forward in the footsteps of the Lord and Divine Master and becoming his instrument. We pray to be instruments of peace in the Peace Prayer. That transformation occurs as we serve the Lord and Divine Master and train our souls in forgiveness. When we commit and recommit to the process of sowing pardon amid an injury, we witness to the gratuity of grace that moves us from selfishness to selflessness.

—from the book Soul Training with the Peace Prayer of Saint Francis
by Albert Haase, OFM