Beyond forgiveness, meditation of the day
Beyond the forgiveness: Was our Lord here giving legal advice regarding a criminal or civil proceeding and how to avoid a court proceeding? Certainly not. He was presenting us with an image of Himself as the righteous judge. And he urged us to show mercy to anyone who might be seen as our "adversary".
“Quickly settle for your opponent as you go out onto the pitch. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge and the judge will hand you over to the guard and you will be thrown into jail. Amen, I tell you, you will not be released until you have paid the last cent. " Matthew 5:26
Forgiveness of another is essential. It can never be held back. But forgiveness is actually not even enough. The objective final must be reconciliation, which goes much further. In this above gospel, Jesus exhorts us to "settle" with our adversaries, implying reconciliation. The RSV version of the Bible says it this way: "Befriend your accuser soon ..." Working to foster a "friendship" with someone who has accused you, especially if it is a false accusation, goes beyond just forgiving him .
Reconcile with another and re-establishing a true friendship means not only forgiving, but also doing everything possible to ensure that you re-establish a loving relationship with that person. It means that both of you have left your grudge behind and start over. Of course, this requires both people to cooperate in love; but, on your part, it means that you work hard to establish this reconciliation.
Think of someone who has hurt you and, as a result, your relationship with them has been damaged. Have you prayed to forgive that person before God? Have you prayed for that person and asked God to forgive them? If so, then you're ready for the next step of getting in touch with them sweethearts to fix yours report. This requires great humility, especially if the other person was the cause of the pain and especially if they did not say words of pain to you, asking for your forgiveness. Don't wait for them to do this. Look for ways to show that person you love them and want to heal the pain. Don't hold their sin in front of them and don't hold a grudge. Seek only love and mercy.
Jesus concludes this exhortation with strong words. Basically, if you don't do everything possible to reconcile and restore your relationship, you will be held accountable. While it may seem unfair at first, it clearly isn't, because that's the depth of mercy our Lord offers us every day. We will never be adequately sorry for our sin, but God forgives and is still reconciled with us. What a grace! But if we do not offer the same mercy to others, we are essentially limiting God's ability to offer us this mercy and will be required to repay the "last cent" of our debt to God.
Beyond forgiveness: reflect, today, on the person who comes to your mind with whom you need to completely reconcile and rekindle a relationship of love. Pray for this grace, engage in it and seek opportunities to do so. Do it without reservations and you will never regret your decision.
Prayer: My most merciful Lord, I thank you for having forgiven me and for having loved me with so much perfection and totality. Thank you for reconciling with me despite my imperfect contrition. Give me a heart, dear Lord, that always tries to love the sinner in my life. Help me offer mercy to the fullest extent in imitation of your divine mercy. Jesus I believe in you.