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Acts of Forgiveness and Reconciliation
In the course of any human relationship, someone is bound to hurt someone else. It is just the way of things. Sometimes that hurt is inflicted deliberately, other times it may be inadvertent or even done unawares. The practices of forgiveness and reconciliation seek to rebind the relationships that have become strained or unwound through injury or hurt. Forgiveness, as another mode of healing, was also at the center of the spirituality that Jesus exemplified. Jesus speaks about forgiveness 37 times in the New Testament. It is a central component in the Lord’s Prayer, and it is one of the last things he says on the cross: “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” He told Peter that he must forgive someone 70 times 7 rather than simply a few times. Several times Jesus speaks about how to go about seeking forgiveness and restoring relationships that have been strained or broken. This included the relationship between humans and God, as well as person to person. So powerful was this practice and message of forgiveness and reconciliation, that later on Paul realized that it fueled his missionary effort in the Gentile communities. |
The Spiritual Disciplines of Jesus |
Because the early Christian communities were based upon loving fellowship, it was necessary for there to be ways to repair that bond of love when trust had been betrayed or offense had been taken, as can easily happen in the course of human relationships. The spiritual practice of seeking and granting forgiveness, and the work of reconciliation is the work of mending the tears and rips in the social fabric that binds people together in community. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” The work of reconciliation and of forgiveness is the work of bringing peace to human hearts and communities, and is a profoundly spiritual process.
Forgiveness and reconciliation are forms of healing and restoration to wholeness that work at the psychological and emotional level of human relationships. As social creatures, humans are formed by the interrelationships in their families and communities. Acts of forgiveness and the work of reconciliation help to maintain the strength of those bonds of relationship, and assure that those bonds are helpful and not hurtful to the people involved.
But most importantly, as indicated above, the work of forgiveness springs from the very character and nature of God. By pronouncing forgiveness upon those who crucified him, and calling upon God’s forgiveness of them, he demonstrated to us that the work of forgiveness is dear to the heart of God.
Forgiveness and reconciliation are forms of healing and restoration to wholeness that work at the psychological and emotional level of human relationships. As social creatures, humans are formed by the interrelationships in their families and communities. Acts of forgiveness and the work of reconciliation help to maintain the strength of those bonds of relationship, and assure that those bonds are helpful and not hurtful to the people involved.
But most importantly, as indicated above, the work of forgiveness springs from the very character and nature of God. By pronouncing forgiveness upon those who crucified him, and calling upon God’s forgiveness of them, he demonstrated to us that the work of forgiveness is dear to the heart of God.
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In this video, we explore the relationship between forgiveness and reconciliation. In addition, we discuss what forgiveness is not, and we hear from Archbishop Desmond Tutu regarding the spiritual basis for the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. |
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