“I’m still meditating on 1 Corinthians 13. One of the elements that especially challenges me is, “Love does not keep a record of wrongs.” It’s easier to forgive than to forget. And how often past memories invade the present and tempt one to rehash a wrong, fan it into flames, and form it into a grudge as weighty as the Washington Monument.
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“Blame seems to me to be the fundamental cause for keeping a record of wrongs. Pointing the finger at others can make it easy to ignore our own faults. We can just keep running down the list seeing the splinter in the other person’s eye while ignoring the beam in our own.
“This Advent I want to stop blaming and start thanking. I wrote several thank you letters on Thanksgiving Day and I want to do that frequently during Advent. How many graces I’ve received from others. I want to thank them for it. I don’t want to focus on the hurtful events in my life. What good is that? Besides, when others hurt us they offer us a great opportunity to be united to the cross of Christ, and help make up what’s lacking in His suffering as St. Paul says. It took me a long time to figure out what Paul meant. How could anything be lacking in the passion and suffering of Christ? The answer is simple: our cooperation in Christ’s passion by our complete submission to the Divine Will by embracing our own sufferings — not just accepting them, but kissing them like Christ kissed His cross.
“St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, apostle of the Sacred Heart, suffered a lot from the time she was a child. Instead of blaming those who persecuted her, she excused them, forgave them in her heart, and saw them as a means to holiness. What a great blessing if I can learn to do the same thing. It seems impossible, but Jesus promises that “My grace is sufficient for you.” So I’m confident that when Christmas arrives I will find in my stocking a little more patience, a little more kindness, a little more gratitude, and a blank “record of wrongs” list…”
https://lesfemmes-thetruth.blogspot.com/2024/12/sunday-meditation-love-does-not-keep.html
Good post. Maybe we are all susceptible to “Irish Alzheimer’s” — we forget everything except our grudges. I certainly have the tendency, and it arrived well before old age.
We must not forget or forgive those who bought into the cosmic lie and deceit of the “pandemic”. Economies, lives, livelihoods, the faith of some Catholics and friendships destroyed. Justice needs to be meted out and TRUTH revealed by the powers that be. Then will come forgiveness. Why else does the Bible speak of our enemies?
I don’t comment here (or anywhere) much, everyone else says things much better, but this post inspires me.
Betrayal is the hardest wrong to forgive let alone forget especially if the betrayal has caused permanent harm to your life. Adultery is the quintessential betrayal and those who’ve suffered because of it know what I’m saying. Nothing can cause greater pain and harm to the non-offending spouse. Betrayal from trusted friends and elected officials sworn to our protection also causes a rift that cannot be mended by human means.
The recourses we have are Christ-inspired forgiveness “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” and petitioning Our Lady for the grace of forgetfulness. Both forgiveness and forgetfulness are possible but only supernaturally.
There is tremendous Christian liberty knowing that God will avenge all wrongs – considering that if we are offended, God is infinitely so. If He can forgive, then so can I. But this same liberty inspires us to pray for those who injure us knowing that eternity in hell awaits the betrayer. That is a fate no Christian can wish on even their worst enemy and remain in a state of grace. Thus we fulfill the words of our Lord’s Prayer “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
This world is truly a vale of tears.