The forgiveness that sets us free

Resentment imprisons the one who holds on to it. To forgive is to open the prison door — and to discover that the prisoner was you.

Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother — perhaps seven times. Jesus answered: seventy times seven (Mt 18:21-22), that is, always. And in the Our Father we ask to be forgiven in the same measure as we forgive (Mt 6:12).

Many people seeking healing carry old hurts: from parents, from spouses, from those who wounded them in childhood. These wounds weigh on the body, on sleep, on relationships.

Forgiving is not forgetting; it is not saying that the wrong was not wrong; and it does not oblige you to live with someone who keeps hurting you. In cases of violence, seeking protection is both a right and a duty. To forgive is to hand over to God the right to collect the debt, and to let him take care of justice.

A concrete step: write the name of the person you need to forgive, bring it before the Blessed Sacrament or the Holy Face, and tell Jesus: “I can’t do it yet, but I want to want to.” He begins his work from that small yes.

To pray

Lord, I choose to forgive the one who hurt me. You know how much it hurts. Take resentment from me, heal my memory and bless this person too. Set me free to love again. Amen.

Important: everything in this ministry takes place in communion with the diocesan bishop and with the parish priest of each community. Prayer does not replace medical or psychological treatment, and exorcism in the strict sense is reserved to a priest authorized by the bishop (Catechism, no. 1673).