Robert Enright |
Second in a series of seven articles on forgiveness.
Lent is a time of seeking forgiveness for sins and then practicing forgiveness toward those who have been unfair to us.
When we forgive, we give the gift of goodness to those who have not been good to us. As we are forgiven, we forgive, as the Catholic Church teaches (Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. 2838).
Sometimes, when people reflect on this link between being forgiven in the Sacrament of Penance and then forgiving others, there may be some apprehension in now extending that forgiveness to those who have been hurtful.