It is very difficult to forgive, yet it is something we must learn to do. Even so, we make excuses about forgiving. We tell ourselves that the other person does not deserve our forgiveness, or that they haven’t even apologized for what they have done. We tell ourselves that we are not ready to forgive and that we will eventually try harder to forgive.
Yet all the while, we carry in our hearts anger. We carry in our hearts rancor. We carry in our hearts even hatred. It does no one any good. As a matter of fact all it does is sour our lives and make us suffer.
We must ask ourselves, “where is our integrity?” Why integrity? Simply put, I pray the Our Father and I claim to believe the words: forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. I always ask our Lord to forgive me and I never doubt that He will, even though I offend Him every day of my life, and sometimes even gravely. Yet why can I ask so unashamedly for forgiveness for an offence against God, yet I cannot be as generous and offer my forgiveness to someone for an offence against me?
I must forgive. This does not mean I have forgotten, nor does it mean that it doesn’t hurt anymore, but I must forgive. Only in this way, may I forgive as God forgives me. Let us be generous with others, as God is generous with us!