Greatness of Soul

Greatness of soul proves itself also in a willingness to forgive, in matters large and small, whether it be people close to us in our lives or far from us. It is not Christian to go about the world with a list of grievances in one's heart, cherishing rancorous thoughts and memories that shrink the spirit and make us incapable of the human and divine ideals to which our Lord is calling us. In the same way that God is always ready to forgive everyone everything, our capacity to forgive must have no limits. The number of times does not matter. The seriousness of the wrongs done is irrelevant, as is the status of the persons who were supposedly guilty of the offences. Nothing makes us like unto God so much as being always ready to forgive (St. John Chrysostom). On the Cross, Jesus did what he had taught: Father, forgive them, he prayed. And immediately he added the mitigating reason: for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). those words show the greatness of soul of Christ's sacred Humanity.

In Conversation with God: Ordinary Time, Weeks 13-23)

I inadvertently kept reading yesterday and wound up on the commentary for Year C which gave me a wonderful reminder of how I am to be.

And why is it that we must so constantly be reminded of this? Why is it so easy to forget? It occurs to me that this is one of those times when it is better to be like a little child, as Jesus told us. Little children forgive readily and then forget all. It is only later that they learn to remember, hold grudges, and count the number of offenses.

That must be why the saints are ... well ... saints. We have example after example of times when they do not even take offense in the first place. They have achieved that desired state of being like a little child. God grant that I may be able to do the same someday.