Forgiveness is the gift of gifts. It certainly must be the most difficult gift to give. Being kind to others is a normal sentiment and a basic trend of life. Nevertheless, the idea of one-for-the-other does not always work, and unfortunately there is an inclination of one-against-the-other. Even though this is not normal.
Cordial aggression is nearly always born in the folds of competition and rivalry, in cases where one wishes to obtain something, and others dispute the possibility.
Egoism is the wall that blocks off communication with our neighbor. When an individual is a true narcissist, he tends to consider anybody else as a rival, and he easily turns others into the target of his aggression. It is sufficient to analyze the rivalry between one person and another, between one group and another, and in today’s hostilities, we will always discover old battles fought to salvage personal prestige and assure one’s own interests.
How many people spend day and night mentally attacking a certain person, and this person never even finds out. Somberly and inflamed, they are consumed with hate for their neighbor, while the other person is happily dancing through life, completely unaware of the person who is suffering.
Most of the time the effects of our destructive emotions, such as jealousy, envy or hate, never affect the person we hate, nevertheless we ourselves are slowly being pressured and imprisoned by our own gloomy shadows.
Masochism? Self destruction? No. Foolishness.
To hate is madness. Resentment destroys the resenter.
By experiencing life, we learn how difficult it is to forgive; we also know that to forgive, we need Jesus to do it, more than with any other fraternal attitude, One does not like to forgive, not for ideas or convictions, not even for ideals. But, it could be for a person.
How do we do it then? By concentrating. By evoking the presence of our Lord through faith. And when we have had an intimate “encounter” with Him, to say it: Jesus, enter into the deepest roots of my being, take over my heart which is full of hostility and replace it with Your own, be you who forgive inside of me, I want to feel the same way towards that person as You do, I want to forgive him or her, just as You forgave Peter… right now, Jesus.
Feeling it deeply like this, you will experience how Jesus calms down that hostile agitation and leaves you with so much inner peace that you can calmly rise up and go to talk with the “enemy” in a very natural way. These are the miracles Jesus is performing today.
From the book Come with me, by Father Ignacio Larrañaga.
