I did a Bible Study on a small portion of the “Our Father” with one of my Protestant friends over on the YouVersion Bible App (which I have been enjoying).
This was my deep-dive reflection on the topic of Forgiveness. Thought I would share.
This Prayer that Jesus taught us to pray, “…forgive us our trespasses (or debts) as we forgive those who trespass against us,” is a Prayer of petition.
Jesus teaches us that it is okay to pray for ourselves, but also to pray for others.
Before we receive God’s grace to forgive others, we must first recognize that we are sinners.
St. John the Apostle said, “If we say we are without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10)
This petition mirrors the tax collector’s Prayer in Jesus’ parable, in Luke 18:13, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner!”
In The Catechism, paragraph 2839, it points out that when we sin, we turn away from God, but in this petition, we return to Him, “like the prodigal son.”
At every Sacred Liturgy there is a call to forgive. It is commonly referred to as “the sign of peace,” but would be more appropriately renamed (in my opinion)
“When you stand to Pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.” — Mark 11:25
“All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” — Ephesians 4:31-32
We are also called to forgive our enemies (Matthew 5:43–44).
Often, when someone has done something beyond terrible (or what some define as “unforgivable”) to another human being, we may often think, “How can someone forgive someone like that?”
The Catechism says that this ability to forgive the most heinous offenses is found “in the depths of the heart.”
“It is not in our power not to feel or to forget an offense; but the heart that offers itself to the Holy Spirit turns injury to compassion and purifies the memory in transforming the hurt into intercession.” — CCC 2843
“Our Father, forgive us our trespasses (for I am a sinner), as we forgive those who trespass against us (from the depth of my heart).” Amen ♱