What is Forgiveness?

[BarbTherese]

This is a subject I am reflecting on especially in these very sad days...........

https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-limits-of-forgiveness

Quote

 

Excerpt: "Since our forgiveness before God is conditional on our willingness to forgive others, a person with a feelings-based understanding of forgiveness could conclude that he isn’t forgiven by God until he has rosy feelings about everyone in the world. This would lead him to try to manufacture positive feelings for others. When these feelings are not forthcoming, it can make him scared for his salvation, emotionally dry, frustrated, or even angry with God for making his salvation contingent on what kind of feelings he has when he doesn’t have full control of them. That way lies despair.

But the feelings-based view of forgiveness is wrong for precisely the reason that the previous two scenarios turn on:

We don’t have full control of our feelings."

 

Very often, even most often, we don't have control of our feelings, but we do have control of what we do with our feelings.

[islander]

A topic close to my heart after abuse suffered.

I used this comparison. if someone pushed me off a bridge, I might forgive them while I was recovering in hospital but there is no way I would walk on a bridge with them

Also I read recently .... that forgiving means accepting that the past can never be changed  .

From my island anchorhold to your heart. 

 

[little2add]

 the prodigal son’s, father’s and brothers’ life  lesson.

 Learning forgiveness is the lessons we were put on earth for.