Today, we complete 3 months of reflections on forgiveness. We have not yet covered what is possibly the most difficult aspect of forgiveness: forgiveness of ourselves. 

With the exception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, every human person from the beginning of time has committed sin. (Remember that Jesus was a Divine Person with a human nature). We are affected by original sin – this tendency is part of our nature which turns away from God and His laws. Though original sin is washed away in Baptism, its effect, which St. Augustine calls concupiscence, remains in us.  Sometimes choose what we want rather than what God wants.

If we believe what Jesus taught, and what the Old Testament contains, we know that human sin can be forgiven by God. It can be forgiven over and over, provided we are sincerely sorry and working to grow in holiness. But it is not always that easy to forgive ourselves for the sins we commit. We may feel unworthy of God’s love, or anyone else’s for that matter. Our transgressions can stay with us for an entire lifetime, haunting us and making us think we are “less than.” 

While we might forgive others for the same sins, we somehow think that our sins are unforgivable. 

If we ponder this for a moment, we will realize that it the sin of pride. Pride does not just mean that we think we are better than everyone else – it can also mean that we think we are worse than everyone else.  With all the power that an All-Powerful God has, we arrogantly believe that His power is not great enough to forgive me. But this is a deception posed by the Evil One, and we must fight to overcome it. 

This week, let us reflect on the truth that nobody is beyond redemption, no matter how sinful they have been – and this includes you.