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The National Catholic Broadcasting Council presents Let us reflect together. 40 Days of Lent Retreat from the Cross to Hope. Day 25, Forgiveness, a New Beginning. Forgiveness as Sacrifice with Monsignor David Rylander.

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Forgiveness can feel impossible when we are knotted up in rage or shock. This is not the moment to expect forgiveness. Premature forgiveness can worsen the situation. You need to be able to think clearly, to realize that feelings are neither good nor bad. They do not control us unless we let them. The statement, I can't forgive you, really means I won't forgive you. Unforgiveness can feel powerful, but it is momentary. Who can throw the first stone? Do you not sometimes need a new beginning? Try this exercise. Remember a time when you needed forgiveness, either from God or someone else. Recollect the guilt and anxiety. Then recall the joy of being forgiven and the release of tension. This is why forgiveness is a necessary part of love. Two cannot be separated. God gave us his only son for the forgiveness of sins. In turn, we must forgive others. Forgiveness, however, never happens in a vacuum. To be realistic, there are consequences, both good and bad. Hannah Arendt's decision to forgive Heidegger damaged her reputation. Scholars continue debating whether it weakened her writing. What matters, though, is that she faced the consequences. That was part of her sacrifice. She lived with the memory that he put her life in danger, and with the nightmare of exile. Yet the sacrifice of forgiveness also brings positive consequences. Jesus gave the great commandment, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself. St. Paul wrote that this command sums up the law. Forgiveness is an essential expression of God's love for his people, making it a divine action. When we forgive, we act in a divine way. This is what God intended when he created human beings in his image and likeness. God's plan is that we choose good over evil, even when the choice is difficult. What seems impossible because of overwhelming feelings does not mean we are incapable of choosing to let someone begin again with us. On the cross, Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Love expressed in forgiveness opens new possibilities rather than fueling cycles of retaliation. For reflection, meditate on the great commandment in Matthew 22 and contemplate what love means to you.

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Join us tomorrow for Day 26, Forgiveness, a New Beginning, Difficult Cases with Monsignor David Rylander. For more information, please email us at info at ncbc.ca, visit our website at daily tvmass.com, or call our office toll free at one eight eight eight three eight three six two seven seven.