Program 3 of Light for Freedom- Forgiveness

Cecilia: Thank you for being with us. We are in this program, Light for Freedom.

Gregory, thank you for being with us.

Gregory: Thank you so much, Cecilia.

Cecilia: We have a great topic today: forgiveness. We have to talk about forgiveness because sometimes we are blocked because we don’t forgive. We don’t forgive and we don’t ask for forgiveness. Could you explain to us what it means to ask forgiveness and to forgive also?

Gregory: Yes, Cecilia. First, I would like to open up with a scripture from Ephesians 1:7-8, in which the scripture states, “In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of his graces that he lavished upon us.”

It is through the mercy of God’s eternal love that he is calling us to the foot of the Cross each day to repent, to be forgiven of our sins and to receive the light of his mercy within us, forgiveness that heals, forgiveness that transforms and cleanses us, heart, mind, body and soul, of all that needs to be healed.

In the prayer of St. Faustina, we recite, “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins and save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of God’s mercy and love.” For without love, we would not have the mercy of forgiveness.

All things are fulfilled through love, for the Cross is love, and love is the Cross. And without the passion, we would not have the resurrection and redemption for new life and salvation through the forgiveness of our sins. Our Lord said, love one another as I have loved you, also forgive one another as I have forgiven you.

The power of repentance is the power of redemption that brings joy and hope within our hearts. The power of God’s merciful forgiveness cleanses us and sanctifies us in God’s merciful love to receive God’s healing each day.

Do you have any questions, Cecilia?

Cecilia: Yes, how can we forgive someone who has hurt us so much? Because it’s something very difficult sometimes.

Gregory: I believe it’s through the power of trusting in God’s mercy and through the power of prayer and asking God to give us the graces necessary through the redemption of his Precious Blood, in giving us the strength to say I forgive and asking God to help us to forgive one another and those who have offended us.

Our Lord said 70 times seven and that forgiveness does not have conditions given the sin committed against us or the sins that we have committed. God’s love, unconditional and through and in his love, we are being called to forgive unconditionally. Forgiveness gives us the power of the Kingdom of God within because the power of darkness has no power over the light of the redemption of the Cross.

There is no sin greater than God’s mercy to forgive. Yes, the bigger the problem, the greater the need for prayer. And in circumstances when we have been offended, we must consider how we would like other people to extend their forgiveness when we have offended them.

Our Lord said, do unto others as I have done unto you. And we are being called to follow the example of God’s compassionate mercy. I know how difficult this could be in grave circumstances, but through the forgiveness of God’s mercy, we heal. And through that healing, we receive joy, because we are set free from the bondage of sin and darkness, set free in the light of Christ, who forgives us, consoles us in his compassionate mercy and renews our strength in him.

Do you have any thoughts?

Cecilia: Yes, yes, Jesus said in the scripture that if we have something against our brother, if we are taking our gifts to God, to the altar, to go first to our brothers and sisters and resolve the disagreement and then return with our gifts to God. Then we are going to be justified. Do you remember that?

Gregory: Yes, we are being called through love, to turn the other cheek.

Cecilia: No, let me explain again. You have something against your brother or sister, and you want to offer me something. Go to your brother and sister, arrange that, hug your brother and sister, and return to my altar, offering me what you want to offer me.

Yes, okay, so what do you think about that?

Gregory: This is why we have the power of the sacrament of reconciliation and confession, where we meet our Lord Jesus in the confessional, the confessional of God’s mercy, to ask for forgiveness, that we, too, may heal not only within our heart but to heal the hearts of others, as Jesus does.

Then we can receive the Holy Eucharist with a pure heart of intention and faith, and with the power of the Holy Eucharist, we receive greater graces through the greater purity of our hearts. Because a lack of forgiveness blocks the Holy Spirit within us and blocks the graces and blessings that we receive in God’s mercy and in the love of the Holy Eucharist.

Do you understand?

Cecilia: Yes, yes, when we don’t forgive, we don’t have the Holy Spirit.

Gregory: Yes, because the Spirit is love, the Spirit is patience and kindness and mercy. It is understanding, to live with our indifferences in peace. Because forgiveness produces peace. If there were greater forgiveness in the world today, we would not have the wars that we are experiencing. So, the power of forgiveness produces peace within our hearts.

Yes, and that peace gives us a greater clarity to live the example of God’s will each day. Because a lack of forgiveness, not only hardens the heart but creates walls and differences.

Cecilia: Yes. So, once you don’t forgive, you have a big wall between your brother and sister.

Gregory: And I believe that it is through prayer and asking our Lord to give us the grace to forgive, the grace of humility of humbling ourselves.

Whenever I feel I’ve done something wrong, or even if I haven’t, but I feel as though maybe I have offended someone, I always look first within myself to ask God to reveal to me possibly what I may have done to offend that person. Yes. So that I may seek their forgiveness or pray in any way that I may have offended them for them to forgive me.

We have all things through love and Christ. Yes, we have all things in his mercy. And the kingdom of God is within us. And we’re being called to be the light of that kingdom. Yes, as children of God and children of light and children of grace.

If we go to God’s altar and if we seek to receive holy communion with the lack of forgiveness in our hearts, then how can we truly seek God’s love in the Holy Eucharist, in holy communion? Yes.

Cecilia: Yes, it’s very difficult and you feel bad. When you don’t forgive someone, you feel so bad. The one with more trouble is you, not the one that you are supposed to forgive.

Gregory:

Amen.

Our Lord gave us the example on the Cross. As he said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” and he expressed to the criminal that your sins have been forgiven, that you will be with me this day in paradise. God’s mercy and forgiveness set us free.

Yes, and I believe most importantly that we must seek God’s forgiveness and repenting to be healed of the memories of our past sins and those sins committed against us. It is a prayer that I pray each day.

Because I could not live without God’s mercy. Yes, entrusting my heart to God and saying, Father, take me as you desire. I love you. I love you. I need you. I need your strength. I need your healing. And I need your hope. Yes.

Cecilia: What do you think is more difficult to forgive someone or to ask forgiveness?

Gregory: I believe that through asking for forgiveness, we are forgiving. Yes. That one cannot be separated from the other. Forgiveness is forgiveness. Yes.

Cecilia: So, when you ask for forgiveness, you are already forgiven.

Gregory: Yes. We are forgiven by God.

It is a choice, according to the free will of the other person to forgive us.

I believe what’s most important is that I ask first for forgiveness, first of our Lord and then of the individual. Yes. Because of that, I am set free from the problem, from the issue. Yes. I’m not held in the bondage of the circumstances and I’m not held in the bondage of a lack of forgiveness that hardens our heart, that creates hatred and indifference, resentment and an ultimate lack of unconditional love.

Cecilia: So, do you think it’s a big grace to forgive?

Gregory: Yes. The scripture says that our Lord grants us the graces necessary to forgive when we seek the power of trusting in his mercy, in being merciful towards others and in being compassionate towards others.

In the prayer of St. Francis, he says, Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where I have injured a person, I seek their forgiveness and I also forgive.

St. Francis also said in the prayer that I may seek to understand, not to be understood, to console as to be consoled and to love as to be loved. Love, love, love. It is everything. It is the answer to all things.

When we choose to truly love others by forgiving them and when we choose to love God above all things by seeking his forgiveness in repentance, we choose to receive the graces of God’s eternal mercies that strengthen our faith, renew our faith and allow us to walk in the footsteps of Jesus in the example that he gave us to love.

Cecilia: So, forgiveness is something so beautiful because we also have it in the prayer of Our Father.

Gregory: Yes, forgive us our trespasses, us as we forgive others. And the prayer states, first, forgive us our trespasses. Yes.

Cecilia: It is so powerful because it is a prayer from Jesus directly.

Gregory: Our Lord said it is the greatest prayer. It is the most profound prayer because it calls us into the light of the redemption of God’s love- give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

It was a great example, Cecilia, for prayer and seeking the compassionate help of God’s mercy to forgive others.

Cecilia: It is very important, forgiveness is very important in our faith. It shows a difference between other religions or thoughts in which I do the same as the other did to me.

Gregory: Forgiveness is an act of faith.

Cecilia: With God and then with my brother.

Gregory: Yes. We act through faith in forgiving. And we act through the greatest gift of love, through seeking God’s forgiveness and in forgiving one another.

Cecilia: I want to ask you the last question because time is of the essence. What happens when my neighbor, my brother or sister, is no longer alive and is not in the world anymore?

Gregory: What we have to do, most importantly, is that we ask God to forgive us because we are united in the communion of saints, in eternal life and love. Most importantly, it is God who has the power to forgive, and it is God who gives us the grace of the power to forgive. Yes.

Do you understand?

Cecilia: Yes.

Gregory: All forgiveness comes from God’s grace and mercy.

Cecilia: How can we solve the problem of reparation to repair our bad act?

Gregory: It is through loving God and desiring to make the necessary changes in our lives, in repenting to transform our lives. It is making the choice to live the example of Christ each day.

Because how can we ask God for forgiveness with the continued desire to live in a state of sin and darkness?

We are being called to live in a state of repentance. Paul said the things that I don’t want to do, I do. And the things that I want to do, I don’t do. He understood his fallen nature, but he understood his resurrected nature through Christ to continue to persevere in faith and to receive the sanctity, to walk in the sanctity, of God’s love. Does that help you?

Cecilia: Yes. But there is something that we have to think about which is for another program that I have to repair the damage, if I make some damage.

Gregory: I believe that through forgiveness, we are transformed, but we must act through God’s mercy to heal us, transform us, and make reparation through change.

Cecilia: You said we repair when we change.

Gregory: Yes. We make reparation through the change within us by God’s mercy.

Cecilia: We can pray for the ones we offended as a way to repair, to pray for the people I damaged.

Gregory: And also pray to ask them to forgive us.

Our Lord once said, first love, then mercy for love fulfills all things for without love, mercy would not exist.

Cecilia: So, Gregory, we are finishing. We are finishing our program, Light for Freedom.

We have to thank all the people that are watching us. Thank you so much.

Gregory: And may you seek to walk in the Light for Freedom through God’s forgiveness. Amen.

Cecilia: Amen. Amen. Bye.