Forgiveness Leads to Healing

A person’s Christianity can be measured by the degree to which they are prepared to forgive. Forgiveness is one of the deepest expressions of charity. Forgiveness leads to healing. We carry around with us a lot of baggage. We carry the baggage in an invisible sack, and it can weigh us down and tire us. There is no inner peace. We carry wounds, scars, bruises, and hurts from the past, resentment, anger and bitterness. The key to healing of this kind is forgiveness. Forgive, and the baggage melts away. Let go of the chains that bind us. The chains around us have no lock, just our own grip. Let go, forgive, and they will fall away. 

An unforgiving attitude, bitterness and a desire for vengeance poison the soul and increase anxiety and feelings of depression, whereas forgiveness heals and frees. It is healthy and wholesome, and it brings peace. 

Who is the person whose hand you will not shake?

If you have hatred in your heart for anyone, try to root it out. Easier said than done. The important thing is to try. To try and to keep on trying is to be a saint. 

Never are we more like God than when we forgive.
Terence Harrington OFM Cap, The Sacred Heart Messenger, April 2024