Forgive

 

Christ tells Peter we must forgive our brother 70 x 7, a totality, and proceeds to tell a parable to that effect. He finishes, "So it will be for you if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." To put it bluntly, you go to hell if you have an unforgiving spirit or heart.

Does that sound somehow harsh? Hardly. Consider the qualities of an unforgiving spirit: Wrath, resentment, vengeance and everything that flows from that. Do these things make us happy? Demonstrably not. Do they add to our communion or fellowship with our fellow men? Errrr, no, they do not. Do they make us attractive? Now that's a hard one. No, they don't.

Just look at what sheer evil does to a person

An unforgiving, vengeful heart is abhorrent to men, and all the more so to God who is in all simplicity mercy, love and compassion in Himself. The unforgiving person, the soul which nurtures hatred, revenge and grievance close to itself eventually becomes what it does. Net result? A soul diametrically opposed to God. There is no place in paradise for such an... entity.

So we must forgive and do so totally. Easy to say, right, but notoriously hard to do when we're stabbed in the back, the blood's flowing and we've been grievously hurt. When that happens we want to lash back in furious rage and destroy our enemy utterly. But hold on, stand by.

Some kind of pathetic joke?

When we're tempted by such a demonic urge, and we all are, first consider the parable of the unforgiving steward, who are we to wreak vengeance when so much has been forgiven, and then pray the Lord's Prayer, "Forgive us our trespasses and we forgive those who trespass against us." And with that, ask God in prayer to grant us a merciful, loving, compassionate heart. 

I tell you, all ye heathen, that he will grant this request and transform our hearts into the likeness of his own, such that when we meet him face to face he will recognize us as his own and welcome us into the heavenly kingdom. 

Now, is all this about being somehow soft on sin? No, it's about fashioning our hearts after the heart of God, becoming like him. Therein lies sanctity, salvation, and the defeat of demons.

Deus Vult,

LSP