Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sep 15, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Bishop Jorge Luis Lona of San Luis, Argentina, reminded Catholics this week that “God does not forgive us if we do not forgive each other,” and he noted that if resentment dominates our lives, “we isolate ourselves from his merciful love.”
“This does not mean that God becomes angry with us because we allow ourselves to be dominated by anger. Man’s destiny is to become like God, according to the model of Christ,” he added.
Bishop Lona pointed out that the one who seeks God’s forgiveness is called to forgive as well. “It’s not to say that nothing happened. It’s saying that something bad has happened and that our forgiveness is an invocation of the Almighty to receive the miraculous forgiveness that wipes away guilt and brings new life,” he noted.
Through prayer, Bishop Lona said, “it is always possible to forgive that person who has hurt us, even if he or she has not asked for forgiveness or if we have been terribly hurt.”