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Scripture
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
"In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do.
You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others.”
(Matthew 6.12, 14, The Message)
A Prayer for Recitation and Meditation
“O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk. But give me, your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love. O Lord and King, grant to me to see my own faults and not to condemn my brother or sister. For you are blessed unto the ages of ages. Amen.”
(St. Ephrem the Syrian, 4th Century AD)
Commentary
Confession and forgiveness are one reciprocal experience. “Confession” means, literally, "to acknowledge together" with God about our motives, thoughts, and acts. “Forgiveness” means our being released from the guilt and burden of our sin.
Our giving forgiveness and forgiving others is a single reciprocal act. Forgiveness is, likewise, one with loving, for forgiveness, to be true forgiveness, is chosen as an act of freewill arising from love.
Any act of forgiveness toward others or ourselves is an act of the Love of God working through us to bring redemption and wholeness into the good creation. Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971 AD), an Evangelical, Reformed pastor and a leading theologian of the 20th Century, wrote, “Forgiveness is the final act of love.” Therefore, since God is Love, when we seem unable to forgive another or ourselves, a first step toward forgiveness is the confession of our inability to forgive and a readiness to be given grace to forgive. If we faithfully intend to forgive, God will faithfully enable us to forgive.
Confession and forgiveness is the beginning, often, of a process that matures over time. Especially, when we have been hurt deeply by someone, we might find that forgiveness seems slow in coming. However, each time we offer the intent of forgiveness, the offer is a step toward full freedom from the burden of resentment.
The Method
1. Position yourself in any way that expresses your humble respect for God. Positions can include, among other ones, standing with hands lifted into the air and face lifted toward the sky; standing or sitting with hands folded and face pointed downward, or sitting with hands folded in the lap and head turned slightly downward.
2. Offer a prayer of invocation, including a petition for the Spirit of Christ to grant you grace to forgive.
3. With eyes closed, form an image that represents to you God, as Father or Mother, or Christ, or the Holy Spirit. Then, internally or vocally, confess sin and express your confidence in freely given forgiveness. If you are asking forgiveness for another, you may form an image of Christ and picture the other person with you before Christ. Offer to Christ the person, asking Christ to help the other know your forgiveness and ask Christ to enable you to forgive this person. Picture Christ lovingly touching the person with His healing and freeing Light. If you are confessing and asking forgiveness for yourself, you can form an image of Christ and express yourself to Him. Share with Christ your need of forgiveness. See Christ lovingly touch you and imparting to you His healing Light.
4. Continue offering prayers of confession and forgiveness, until you feel that you have completed the prayer.
5. Conclude the prayer time in, first, thanksgiving for the gift of forgiving and being forgiven, and, second, in moments of silent adoration and gratitude.
Spiritual Exercise
1. Recall a time when you had difficulty forgiving someone and, finally, did forgive? What did that feel like?
2. Recall a time when you had difficulty forgiving yourself and, at last, forgave yourself? What did that feel like?
3. Spend some time today praying the Prayer of Confession and Forgiveness.
4. Do Lectio Divina, meditation, or recitation daily of the above prayer by St. Ephrem.
5. At the end of each day, look over your day for matters for which you need to offer the Prayer of Confession and Forgiveness.
6. What is your response to the following statement:
We do not have to have the capability to forgive; rather, our praying to forgive itself becomes part of our being enabled to forgive.
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