Forgive us our trespasses AS WE FORGIVE those who trespass against us
"Seek and you shall find,
Ask and it shall be given to you." Matthew 7:7
Forgiveness is not for wimps. Forgiveness takes courage and strength. Forgiveness means letting go of a pain, an injury, or a hurt and allowing God to heal your brokenness.
Forgiveness begins in the mind. In order to forgive, we must make a conscious decision to forgive. We must say, "Lord, God, I forgive." With this decision, we begin the process of healing. Each act of forgiveness begins with a decision to let go of the pain, and allow God room to work in our souls so that we might be healed. The decision to forgive is an open invitation to God to work with us to being us peace and healing. We still might be angry when we make the decision to forgive, but as we let go of each layer of pain, we begin to feel the love of God growing in our souls and peace becomes a flower bud ready to burst from within.
Healing is a process, and each layer of pain must be peeled away for healing to be complete. Think of how you healed as a child when you skinned your knee. The pain was very sharp in the beginning, especially when the injury was exposed to the fresh, clean air. The nerves are raw because they are not protected. The pain is sharp and the knee is tender. Ointments are poured over the wound to help the healing process. Then as healing takes place, there is less pain and tenderness. One day we realize that a protective scab has been formed over the wound, but now it is gone and the wound is healed. There is no more pain.
The wounds in our souls are the same. Often, a wound has been nursed for a long time so an infection has grown in the wound. As with every infection, there is pus in the wound. That pus (the anger) must be released. This is painful because the wound must be lanced. (When we make the decision to forgive, we are lancing the wound.) As the pus drains, we feel relief in the wound. Then the healing ointment of God's love is applied to the infection. On our part, we need to ask for these healing graces through prayer and repentance. The layers must be peeled off from the wound, and raw nerves are exposed to the fresh air. Sometimes, there are only a few layers to peel off. Often times, there are many layers to peel. Eventually, as scabs form and fall off the wound, the pain is gone. The anger we used to feel does not exist. This process all began with the decision to forgive. The graces of God flowed from our minds to our hearts. Forgiveness manifested itself in the healing of our pain.
Many times, we think that it will be impossible to forgive a grievous hurt. We know that we must forgive to heal our souls, but the pain is throbbing. We must make the decision to forgive, then let God take over. Once we have made room in our souls for him to work, then we have begun the process of forgiveness. God, the divine healer, will do the rest.
Lord Jesus, Son of the Father and Mary, I am sorry because I have not forgiven. I know that we when we pray the Our Father we ask the Father to forgive us AS WE FORGIVE others. I am having a difficult time forgiving this injury. I ask You, Jesus, the Divine Healer, to work in my soul. I make the decision now to forgive the person who inflicted this grievous hurt on me. I ask You to forgive them. I ask You to help me forgive them. I am weak, Lord, but You are strong. You are My God, My Lord, and my Savior. Thank You for Your help. I want to forgive, and I ask to be forgiven. Praise You, Heavenly Father. Praise You, Divine Son. Praise You, Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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