Forgiveness I

"Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us."

In The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You want by Being Present to the Life You Have, Mark Nepo suggests that being kind to ourselves is a prerequisite to being kind to others. He says, "so the real and lasting practice for each of us is to remove what obstructs us so that we can be who we are, holding nothing back." As we prepare for our Lenten journey, I would suggest that what obstructs us is forgiving ourselves which is a prerequisite to forgiving others.

As we journey through these last couple of weeks of Epiphany, I encourage us to pray for God's help in naming what stands in the way of us forgiving ourselves. Just as Adam named the animals in Genesis, so we must name the obstacles in order to claim them and let them go. Make a list and check it twice...and then maybe burn it and give it over to the universe where God will turn it into something good.

Once we are free of that which binds us, perhaps we can walk in peace with Jesus through the desert of temptations standing up to the darkness of temptation and following the Light. Though no one said the journey would be easy, we know what Light shines at the end.