Forgiveness (and Healing)

“Do you wish to love more? Forgive more deeply! All healing flows from forgiveness. The love of God is demonstrated to the extreme in Jesus, the sinless One, taking our sins upon Himself and giving His life for us The one who loves deeply is the one who knows the significance of that love and becomes a vessel of forgiveness to others. What is love if it is not the love of God poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (see Romans 5:5)? Love is the gift of God.” (Neal Lozano)

“Repentance is not only sorrow for sins, but concrete action to struggle against sin and to heal the damage inflicted by sin upon the sinner and the victims of that sin. Forgiveness is not merely God setting aside wrath or prospective punishments…Forgiveness is actual healing, restoration, and setting the human person back into order…Jesus continues to issue His call, no matter my inner state. He calls me to repentance; He calls me to eat and drink of Himself in Holy Communion; He calls me to the healing of my spirit, soul, and body. The Great Physician calls me to an unceasing struggle, leading to my cleansing, forgiveness, and union with Him.” (Fr. Stephen De Young, Archpriest Steven John Belonick)

“As disciples of Jesus, we are committed to a living in a different way. We look into our hearts and, under the illumination of the Holy Spirit, begin to see ourselves as we really are, and to see in our hearts the mess that is really there. This insight might lead us to despair if it were not the work of the Holy Spirit. The Enemy tells us of our sins to condemn us; the Spirit shows us our sins to heal us. When the Spirit shows us our sins, we may be sad, but it is a bright sadness (in Schmemann’s memorable phrase) because it leads us to forgiveness and healing. In the words of St. Paul, it produces a sorrow leading to repentance, a sorrow without regret, unlike the sorrow of the world, which produces death (2 Corinthians 7:8). This sorrow produces hope and joy.” (Fr. Lawrence Farley)

“Can forgiveness occur before we achieve complete healing? The answer is yes. Even though residual struggles linger, we can still forgive Perhaps this can even be one of the highest forms of forgiveness. Is this not the type of forgiveness that Christ extended on the Cross? During the crucifixion Jesus exclaimed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). Jesus extended forgiveness even though He was still being crucified.” (Fr. Joshua Makoul)

“One thing is crucial to human interactions. Without it, our relationships would soon devolve into hurts, conflicts, and resentments. Since not one of us is without flaws and failings, we are bound to offend one another. Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians to forgive an errant member reminds us that when others injure our feelings, we need the oil of forgiveness to heal our souls and our bonds with one another.” (Fr. Basil)

#NealLozano #FrStephenDeYoung #ArchpriestStevenJohnBelonick #FrLawrenceFarley #FrJoshuaMakoul #FrBasil