A central teaching in Christ Jesus' ministry is the importance of love, expressed in devotion to God and in charity to one's fellowman. The virtues of forgiveness, patience, and selfless love are extolled in the Gospels. A wonderful example of Christian caring and love can be found in the story of the good Samaritan. See Luke 10:25-37 . And the need to love those who wrong us and to forgive others as we would be forgiven is brought out in the Sermon on the Mount. See Matt., chaps. 5-7 . Those who are devoted to following in Jesus' footsteps strive to grow in their ability to love unselfishly and to forgive those who offend. And there's certainly no shortage of opportunities for practicing these virtues!
When a friend or neighbor commits some offense, he might earn our forgiveness with an earnest apology or other sign of contrition. Our heart goes out to the one who is keenly aware of the wrong done and regretful of it. However, Jesus' teachings urge us to love unconditionally, even in the absence of signs of remorse. Indeed, true Christian practice demands universal, unconditional, and unselfed love, which includes unconditional forgiveness.
But sometimes we neglect to apply the same merciful treatment to ourselves. We can be awfully hard on ourselves when we have made a mistake or been unkind, and we may persist in punishing ourselves long after the wrong has been thoroughly regretted. Is there any justification for withholding from ourselves the same forgiveness we are called upon to grant others?
