Forgiveness is not only an ethical obligation or a personal virtue; it is a deeply significant reality at the heart of the Orthodox Christian life. It is through forgiveness that we participate in the very life of Christ, who “came to seek out and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) In the prayer our Lord taught us, we beseech, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matt. 6:12) This is not a meagre request but a spiritual law: the measure of our own forgiveness by God is tied to our willingness to forgive others. If we refuse to forgive, we place ourselves outside of God’s mercy, as Christ warns: “If you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matt. 6:15)
Throughout His earthly life, Christ embodied divine forgiveness. He forgave the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11), not excusing her sin but restoring her to the path of righteousness. He healed the paralytic by first granting him forgiveness (Mark 2:5), revealing that true healing is found in reconciliation with God. And in His greatest act of love, as He hung upon the Cross, He prayed for those who crucified Him: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). If the Lord Himself, the sinless One, forgave even those who tortured and killed Him, how much more are we, who are sinners, called to forgive?
Forgiveness is not a one-time event but an ongoing struggle. When Peter asked Christ how often he must forgive, our Lord responded, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven” (Matt. 18:22). This is not a numerical limit but a commandment concerning unceasing mercy. True forgiveness is not simply forgetting wrongs but actively choosing love over resentment, prayer over bitterness, humility over pride. If we cling to anger, we allow the devil to take root in our hearts, poisoning us with hatred. The Church Fathers teach that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting another to die; it darkens the soul and separates us from the light of Christ.
The parable of the unforgiving servant (Matt. 18:23-35) is a dire warning. The servant, forgiven an immeasurable debt, refused to extend that same mercy to another. In his hardness of heart, he lost the mercy he had received. This means that our forgiveness from God is conditional upon our willingness to forgive others. We cannot stand before the Chalice and pray for mercy if we harbour hatred against our brother. As St. John Chrysostom writes, “Nothing makes us so like God as our readiness to forgive.”
Forgiveness is not weakness; it is a weapon against the devil. The demons delight in division, in grudges, in estrangement. But when we forgive, we tear down their strongholds and restore peace to our souls. It is through forgiveness that we enter into the joy of the Resurrection, for unforgiveness is the burden of the old man, while the new man in Christ is free. St. Silouan the Athonite taught, “The soul that has not known the Holy Spirit does not understand how one can love one’s enemies.”
In the Orthodox Church, we mark the beginning of Great Lent with Forgiveness Sunday, when the faithful ask and offer forgiveness to one another. This is not a paltry formality but a recognition that the path to Pascha requires a heart unburdened by resentment. As we prepare to stand before Christ, we must first be reconciled with one another, lest we approach Him in hypocrisy. Forgiveness is the path of Christ. It is the medicine for the soul, the balm that heals wounds, and the bridge that unites us to God and each other. As St. Paul exhorts, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32). To forgive is to stand in the light of divine love, to reflect the mercy of our Lord, and to walk the road of salvation.
May each of us forgive one another, that we may be forgiven. Let us cast aside the burden of hatred and embrace the freedom of Christ’s mercy. For only in forgiveness do we truly live as sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father, awaiting the final victory of love over sin and death.
May God bless you +
Fr. Charles
3 March 2025
