During this Lent, through prayer, charity and fasting, let us seek to free ourselves from our slavery to sin and everything in the world that distances us from God. In this Lent, we must also forgive and ask forgiveness for our offenses.

Forgiveness is an act of the will and of charity. It is an act of renouncing to the resentments and the indignation that an offense has caused. Forgiveness as a state of freedom, a liberation; is the fruit of the will of each individual.

As Christians, we believe in the forgiveness of sins. We seek to be accepted again into the bosom of the Father, through the justification obtained by the Son, who took human nature and live among us to teach us to love and forgive as He forgives us. Forgiveness of sins is a fundamental belief of Christianity, and we express it in the Creed and the Lord's Prayer. We say: “I believe in the forgiveness of sins” and “forgive us our trespasses,” respectively. The forgiveness we seek is received from the grace and infinite mercy of God who, even after voluntarily separating ourselves from Him, has redeemed us so that we can once again share in his goodness.

As Christians, we believe that all compassion and forgiveness, come from and participates in the Divine goodness. Forgiveness brings our moral life closer to God's perfection.

The Holy Bible teaches us that God was compassionate and merciful, as he guided the people of Israel, forgiving their sins and doing justice to those who fell into sin. The mercy and justice of God are fully expressed in Christ, who has come to reclaim us as children of the Father, guiding us to Him, showing us the way of perfection.

The New Testament tells us that Christ healed and forgave sinners and urged them to lead a virtuous life, as in the case of the adulterous woman (Jn. 8 1-11). Christ also teaches us that, when His time comes, he will do justice to those who have led a life of darkness far from virtue. The maximum expression of forgiveness of the Son of God is the absolution of his executioners at the moment of being nailed to the cross. "Father, forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing". In his infinite love, Christ opens his heart to free himself from all resentment and forgive the guilt of those who tortured him. The magnitude of God's love is such that he is willing to free us from sin and the guilt that it brings.

Therefore, we are called to forgive with the same intensity with which we seek our forgiveness.

A. J. Gordon, RN, OFS