(photo: Sherburne County, Minnesota (USA), Tom Delaney, 2025) Ice and snow, bless the Lord;praise and exalt him above all forever. ~ Daniel 3, Liturgy of the Word for Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Dr. Katharine Harmon and J.P. Mischhoff at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary located here in Central Minnesota, … Continue reading Forgiveness in Brief
catechesis
Forgiveness is Seeing Fraternity with Love of Christ
(art: Siblings, Paul Klee, 1930) The REACH Forgiveness Process developed by Everett Worthington and taught through Live and Forgive is a research-validated individual level approach to forgiveness. A critical component of the REACH process is having the forgiving person cultivate empathy for the person they are forgiving based on their basic human sameness. The idea … Continue reading Forgiveness is Seeing Fraternity with Love of Christ
Our Own Anger is Still Not Good for Us
(art: Church of St. Nicetas, Macedonia, 14th cent.) Whenever the Gospel accounts of Jesus driving out the money changers from the temple come up in the Liturgy of the Word, I often see an article or hear someone asserting that the Gospel account is proof that anger can be righteous and even a virtue. It … Continue reading Our Own Anger is Still Not Good for Us
Acceptance is Engagement with Reality of Forgiveness
(art: God Answering Job from the Whirlwind, William Blake, 1805 to 1806) Acceptance of a hurtful event or transgression is so important for forgiveness that it can be truly be said that forgiveness is not possible without acceptance. In the forgiveness process, acceptance in terms of "yes, this is what really happened," is involved in … Continue reading Acceptance is Engagement with Reality of Forgiveness
Is there divine forgiveness for suicide?
One of the greatest tragedies and griefs that a person may experience in their lifetime is the death of a loved one when they take their own life. The despair of the loved one that first led them to taking their own life doesn't stop there, but rather extends its devastation to encircle the living … Continue reading Is there divine forgiveness for suicide?
Resurrection Saves from Sadness & Despair
(art: Resurrection, woodcut print, 15th century C.E.) In his General Audience today, Pope Leo XIV explored the topic of personal sadness and explained how the resurrection of Jesus Christ can give us a hope that replaces despair. The pope's address is part of the the cycle of catechesis that will continue throughout the entire Jubilee … Continue reading Resurrection Saves from Sadness & Despair
Live and Forgive 