Forgiveness is one of the greatest acts of Love. It also can be the most difficult to do. Many of us and myself included may find it quite hard to forgive, especially at times when others have wronged us, but we must forgive.

It not only is the right thing to do, but it also is a way to not allow pain or anger to stay within our hearts. Also remember that we cannot forgive the sin committed. Through a priest’s sacramental absolution, God grants the penitent pardon and peace” (CCC 1424). In brief, God forgives sin (CCC 1441). That doesn’t mean we cannot forgive them as a person for their actions committed against us.

What’s beautiful about God is that He forgives and loves us unconditionally, no matter who we are or where we come from. Of course to be forgiven of sin, it is imperative to receive Penance (CCC 1442). In order to be saved, you have to be apart of the Church. Either by actual application or by desire to be a member of the Church. Remember, there is no salvation outside of the Church (CCC 846).

Let’s get back to the topic of Forgiveness. If God can so easily forgive us for what we do in sin, how can we not forgive what others may of done? We must hold this close to our hearts and model what Jesus Christ showed us through the scriptures. Christ endured pain and died on the cross for our sins, our salvation (Isaiah 53:3-5).

The worldview says “to forgive and forget”, I tell you “to forgive and accept”. Love has many names. These names are all intertwined. The names include forgiveness, sacrifice, mercy, charity and much more. There are many bible verses that give the best descriptions of what love is and what it means to love. Love is so very much crucial in our lives today, that it is worth more than all the money, fame, and power in the world.

We also show it to families, friends, and especially our enemies. In the Church, we our God’s children. Our Lord loves the sinner, not the sin. Remember these words in summary, “There is not a righteous person on earth who always does good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). We are not a perfect people, but with God anything can be possible. Keep your faith and trust in God.

Forgive and accept.

I know. The title seems misleading, why would anyone be happy about suffering? Bear with me though, I do have a good reason behind bringing this up. I guess I should of led off with a question. A question being “is there joy in suffering?”

That all depends on what a person is suffering about per say. We know there is bad in suffering, but I’m here to focus on the good outcome that comes from it. For a Catholic to become their true self, suffering will come one way or another. That doesn’t mean suffering will come so big that it’ll will be too difficult to handle. We hear the quote that God never gives people what they can’t handle.

Although, I don’t believe that’s necessarily so. I think what needs to be said is that “God may give us things we cannot handle, but in hopes we finally realize we should turn to Him to overcome these situations”. The joy is knowing that God will always be there with us through the suffering.

God has already suffered for us. We remember Christ’s death on the cross for our salvation (Matthew 27:32-56). He suffered for the Church and good came out of all of this. If we choose to accept Him into our life, He will make sure that we will not suffer alone.

The Joy? The Joy is finding the positives in that suffering. If we look at everything as a negative, how can we ever learn anything? If we look at everything as evil, how can we seek to find God? I’ve suffered. You have suffered.

Maybe it wasn’t as grave of a suffering, but we have felt pain one way or another. The Catechism tells us about “no one can escape the experience of suffering or the evils in nature which seem to be linked to the limitations proper to creatures: and above all to the question of moral evil” (CCC 385). The question remains.. what are we going to do about it? Are we going to sulk and feel bad for ourselves? Or are we going to rise and give glory?

We have to be models of the faith. I am here to tell and to confess the love I have for God. Unfortunately, what I have learned in life is that I am not here to convince others to believe. That is up to them to decide whether they believe or not. I know I cannot save everyone, I am just a simple man on a journey as you are to seek truth. The truth I found was in Christ.

Many of us go through life worrying about what others may say, how they may think or how they may react. Remember, St. Augustine says “Fear is the enemy of love”. God is upon each of us, like a shield in battle. He is our strength and our protector.

Not everyone will believe, even if its right in front of themselves. St. Thomas Aquinas tells us that “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible”. I cannot go further to convince you to believe in God, I can do only what I am called to do. I will say this though so that you may understand. Never give up on each other, even the non-believers. Everyone has a different path of faith to follow, whether that means it takes them a day, a month, a year, or many years to know the truth of who God is in their lives. Let us not lose hope.