Fr. Martin Padovani, SVD, speaks about the two dynamics of Christian life – forgiveness and reconciliation. He believes that there is much misunderstanding about these two aspects. Christianity is about redemption and redemption is all about forgiveness. Forgiveness brings physical, emotional and psychological healing. Without forgiveness, we cannot have real healing.
God can forgive us without the sacrament, but the sacrament brings a more complete healing. Verbalizing what we’ve done wrong is very effective.
Forgiveness does not mean forgetting; it is a process. Fr. Padovani then goes on to explain four major truths about forgiveness and reconciliation.
1. God’s forgiveness is a fact, absolutely clear in the Bible.
2. We must forgive ourselves. Sometimes this is the most difficult step.
3. We then move on to forgive others, which takes a long time.
4. Forgiveness is letting go.