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On Forgiveness
Unknown
"For me, forgiveness is one of the foundations in building and maintaining relationships. As a famous saying goes, nobody is perfect. Everybody commits mistakes. Everybody sins. God made us with a mind to think and a heart to forgive. We should learn to forgive and pardon other people like He forgave us. We should not set conditions in forgiving. It must be as unconditional as the way God forgives us. It may be hard to always forgive but it is not impossible."-Tristan Ngo, H.S. 3A
"Forgiveness is something you give to someone willingly and without any hesitation. Like what Jesus taught us, we should not count the number of times we forgive those who sin against us. Forgiveness gives us the feeling of freedom because by forgiving, you free yourself from having that ill-feeling inside your heart."- Marian Singzon, H.S. 3C
At first I couldn't seem to relate with the theme of today's gospel. I couldn't remember anyone who did something that gravely offended me. I couldn't think of any enemies. So I found it hard to come up with a personal reflection on this topic.
Now memories begin flashing before my eyes. There was a time in sixth grade when I experienced having someone hate and curse me for a small mistake I committed. I still remember that burning, searing pain that was tearing me apart day by day. Then there were the times my relatives were too critical of me; when they would say things that embarassed me and degraded me. There have been many times when the people I loved, when the people I served, were the ones who inflicted the pain. Yes, there have been many times when I had been hurt. As I recalled the instances above, I remember them with little clarity, and even less negative feelings. Less negative feelings, but still not completely gone. Even for a person like me who doesn't really hold grudges against others, forgiving and forgetting is easier said than done. That's probably why we spend our days with hardly any peace.
A book I just finished recently (The Great House of God by Max Lucado) tackled the subject of forgiveness. It relates this old Amos and Andy routine. Amos asks Andy what the little bottle that he's wearing around his neck is. "Nitroglycerin ," he answers. Amos is stunned that Andy would be wearing a necklace of nitro, a very explosive and dangerous chemical, so he asks for an explanation. Andy tells him about a fellow who has a bad habit of poking people in the chest while he's speaking. "It drives me crazy," Andy says. "I'm wearing this nitro so I the next time he pokes me, I'll blow his finger off." He doesn't realize that he'll be blown up, too.
When we try to get even with others, we end up hurting ourselves, too. No amount of revenge will ever be enough. The only sensible thing to do? "Quit giving your neighbor such a hassle."
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