Forgiveness

"We need to forgive and be forgiven every day, every hour ... unceasingly." ~ Henri J.M. Nouwen
  Henri Nouwen reminds me that ..."we are all wounded people. Wounded by those whom we love and those who loves us. When we fell rejected, abandoned, abused, manipulated, or violated, it is mostly by people very close to us: our parents, our friends, our spouses, our children, our neighbors, and even our pastors."
Yes, that is the tragedy of life. When those so close to us hurt us, it makes forgiveness that much harder.  Making it sometimes so impossible, but we know that nothing is impossible for God. The God that lives deep within us will give us the "grace" to go beyond our wounded selves and say, "Because He has loved me and forgiven me, I choose to love you and forgive you."   Forgiveness is really about forgiving others for not being God!  We want so much from people, for them to fulfill our every need, and in reality there is only one who can truly satisfy that hunger...and that 'One'  is our Father, God.  

"Forgiving is one of the most difficult and complex gestures and yet, like love, it is one of the things which defines the essence of our humanity. In fact, the contemplative dimension of forgiveness reveals that at its core, forgiveness is a divine gift of love, a movement of love so profound that it reveals the truth of our nature ~ fully human and enlivened with the divine potential. How important forgiveness is can't be exaggerated. One way of putting it is 'to be at peace with everyone.' It means being prepared to take everyone into your heart, willing to share every one's pain and joy as if it were your own...This oneness is so close that we are more one than individuals. And so the spiritual journey can't always be just a privatized set of practices, because whenever you start the spiritual journey, the whole of humanity, and perhaps creation, goes along and shares the journey with you. " - Fr. Thomas Keating

Forgiveness is the great spiritual weapon against the 'evil one.' As long as we remain victims of anger and resentment, the power of darkness can continue to divide us and tempt us with endless power games. But when we forgive those who threaten our lives, they lose their power over us... Forgiveness enables us to take the first steps toward healing. 
When we acknowledge that humans cannot offer us what only God can give.  We begin to step into our own story and live the life that God has called us to live...a life with Him by our side.  It is the greatest step one will ever make.  
Life therefore needs to be lived in the unforced rhythms of grace, the cross of forgiveness one to another, and to our Father in heaven. This is how a community survives the temptations that are set up by satan. Demons lose their power when we confess that we have been in their clutches! The more deeply we confess our wrongs one to another,  the more we will "experience" forgiveness and the grace of God ~ community life encourages the love of God in each of us. Only until we learn to except each other for who they are and for what they can offer, forgiving them for their weaknesses and their shortcomings, will we ever understand the truth of God's grace for us.  
Beloved, forgiveness by grace through love, is the Father's heart ~  this is the Good News!
Christina