Not to forgive is to be imprisoned by the past, by old grievances that do not permit life to proceed with new business. Not to forgive is to yield oneself to another's control... to be locked into a sequence of act and response, of outrage and revenge, tit for tat, escalating always. The present is endlessly overwhelmed and devoured by the past. Forgiveness frees the forgiver. It extracts the forgiver from someone else's nightmare.

I am forgiven and I am forgiving.

Dear God,

By the power of Your spirit, teach us how to forgive.

We release the past completely in order to live fully in this moment.

Show us the innocence at the heart of all beings.

As we recall those feelings and situations that we drag along on our life-journey, we expand our vision to include You.

We forgive ourselves and we forgive all others;

for any word, thought or deed that was not loving.

We seek Your guidance and direction so that we do not repeat the past.

This is the very moment we begin again.

Alleluia!

Amen