My children don’t always get along. I often find myself intervening. It can be a minor infraction, like when my two-year-old daughter takes my four-year-old son’s corn chip. Other times, it’s more serious, like when my son wrestles away my daughter’s toy laptop. At that age, they tend to get over it quickly. Things will get tougher when they’re older.
But frankly, our family just wouldn’t work if we didn’t forgive one another. The grown-ups are trying to be more like Jesus, but we mostly fall short. We talk about our mistakes, apologize, and move on. As a parent, I would be negligent if I let resentments fester.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says it plainly: “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” Notice how Jesus doesn’t include caveats like “only forgive if they apologize (and mean it),” or “only forgive offenses that aren’t heinous.”
Sometimes in our culture it feels like we aren’t supposed to forgive one another. In our society, forgiving grave offenses can seem like we are condoning them. But forgiveness is not approval and does not replace the obligation to confront injustice. Forgiveness, in fact, is liberating. It renews our relationships with each other and with God.
When I hold a grudge against my brother or sister, I am not accepting God’s role as judge and father to us all. Instead, I put myself in God’s place. Praying the Lord’s Prayer means asking for God’s will to be done, not my own.
