St Kilian Parish recently issued the following announcement.

Forgiveness is not just one of the many endearing qualities of our God, but it is a trait which we must practice with others. But alone, we cannot forgive nor can we ask for forgiveness. It is only when we are aware of how forgiving God has been to us that we can experience forgiveness of, and from, other people.

The theme of today’s readings is forgiveness – God’s forgiveness of us and our forgiveness of others. The First Reading is a call to be willing to forgive those who have harmed us. The psalm proclaims the kindness and mercy of God. In the last chapter of his letter to the Romans, St. Paul calls us to not think of ourselves, but to recall that we belong to the Lord Jesus. When St. Peter, in the Gospel, asks Jesus if forgiving another seven times in one day is enough, Jesus relates a parable about an unforgiving servant.

As I reflect about forgiveness, I am struck by the root cause of people who are unforgiving. In most cases people would rather be selfish than forgiving. They think only of their own hurt and themselves, or as the author of today’s First Reading puts it, “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight.” Some people focus so much on themselves and what they have experienced, they fail to look beyond themselves to the other person(s) involved. It is when we center everything on ourselves and our anger, that we fail to see God’s actions. Forgiveness can only happen when we look beyond ourselves. We need to see how God has treated us: with mercy and kindness, being slow to anger, and rich in compassion. If we focus on how God has touched our lives, we can start to experience what being forgiven really is. That will lead us to be more understanding of those who have caused us pain and hurt. We need to let go of the pain and hurt that others have caused us and see the person who has “sinned” against us as needing the kindness and mercy and compassion of God. We can be instruments of their experiencing the forgiveness and compassion of God by our treating them with similar characteristics.

We are also called to think beyond our own selves to see how we can most lovingly bring the message of God to others. Did our violent reaction/response to the injustices happening now bring about God’s message of forgiveness? Maybe not as God would want.

We need to continue to pray for right judgment and the willingness to look beyond selfish concerns. That is very difficult, in fact, impossible, without resorting to divine help. Forgiveness is an attribute of God. It is not a normal human attribute, because it means thinking of others before ourselves. Yet, we are called to strive to be forgiving. With God’s help, all things are possible.

Original source cannve found here.