Forgiveness and the Eucharist

Grace: To forgive ourselves
Scriptures: John 6:53-59; 1Peter 5:5-11; 1Peter 1:6-9

"The decision to forgive is often reached after much struggle. The problem with forgiveness is that there is something to forgive --- hurt. Those who have never been hurt have no need to learn of forgiveness.

Forgiving an injury or pardoning a wrong, letting go of a hurt unjustly inflicted are all spiritual actions that can be wrung from the depths of the soul It is not something to be taken lightly.

...The struggle ultimately is always a spiritual one and should be done in prayer. Christ himself went in to prayer in his struggles.

His forgiveness returned love whenever injury was received. This is the spiritual victory taught by Jesus but often beyond our reach.

The perfect prayer that the Lord has given us is the Eucharist. All of our spirituality flows from the Eucharist and returns there as well. It is the highest form of union with the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that the Lord Jesus is truly and fully present in the Eucharist.

The Eucharist with its many dimensions brings us to Calvary where we enter into Christ's Passion, are touched by it, and united to the Sacrifice of the Cross...

When the Eucharist is celebrated as a sacrifice ... each person who participates is invited to offer his or her life in, along with and through Jesus. One's life involves all the struggles, hurts, needs, feelings and emotions that make up life. It is not simply the virtues, gifts and blessings that we offer, but our basic humanity in all its frailty. That is the part of us that is still unfinished and has its share of shadows and dark corners. We offer ourselves just as we are."

--from Forgiveness, by Fr Richard McAlear, OMI