(photo: Robben Island Prison, Michael Coghlan, 2011) Storytelling is a way to do a few important things. Telling a story is a way of teaching, such that a person gains an awareness of something, or an understanding, insight, or new point of view -- the things we associate with instruction and learning in general. Because … Continue reading Little Flowers: Forgiveness and Liberation in Captivity
catechism
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
Meditation Nurtures Mind, Body, and Spirit for Forgiveness
(art: Saint Clare of Assisi) In September I wrote an article entitled The Way to Forgiveness: Quiet and Meditation that explained how quiet meditation can help move you mentally and spiritually to the place you need to be in order for you to be ready to engage with forgiveness. Our Franciscan tradition includes exemplars of meditation … Continue reading Meditation Nurtures Mind, Body, and Spirit for Forgiveness
Love & Forgiveness: Research-Informed Action is the Way Forward
Dr. Tyler VanderWeele, the director of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University, recently published an article in Psychology Today, which was also shared as a research update from the Human Flourishing Program. Both the article and the research update recapitulate main points of the recent research by VanderWeele and Lee (2025) on the possibilities … Continue reading Love & Forgiveness: Research-Informed Action is the Way Forward
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?
Perfectionism Works Better with Self-Forgiveness
(photo: Al Shahed Press, 2025) My spiritual director was a priest in his elder years who had "seen it all, done it all." During one of our meetings, he commented, "I have heard confessions - thousands of them, maybe more, who knows how many? In all of that time what I saw was that I … Continue reading Perfectionism Works Better with Self-Forgiveness
Acceptance and Self-Forgiveness: Keys to Personal Growth After Trauma
(art: Le Bal Bullier, Sonia Delaunay, 1913) Research continues to confirm the important role of forgiveness and forgiveness processes for persons recovering from traumatic experiences, and for personal growth after traumatic experiences (post-traumatic growth, or "PTG"). In a recent article published in Spirituality in Clinical Practice, researcher Margaret Poandl and colleagues (2025) at Virginia Commonwealth … Continue reading Acceptance and Self-Forgiveness: Keys to Personal Growth After Trauma
Forgiveness Multiplies Forgiveness
(photo: Tom Delaney, Sherburne County, Minnesota, 2025) There is a prodigious deer population here in our little corner of the oak savanna in Central Minnesota, maybe because of our proximity to Dunes State Forest and Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. It seems that they appreciate the network of walking trails through the woods and frequently use … Continue reading Forgiveness Multiplies Forgiveness
Pope Leo Explains the Resurrection as Cause and Model for Forgiveness
(photo: Edgar Beltran, 2025) Pope Leo XIV had important things to say about forgiveness in his General Audience on Wednesday of this week. His remarks linked forgiveness to the example of Jesus Christ when he appeared to the disciples after his resurrection (John 20:19-31), and how Jesus appears without anger or desire for revenge, but … Continue reading Pope Leo Explains the Resurrection as Cause and Model for Forgiveness
Divine Forgiveness: From Faith to Science and Back Again
(photo: Vatican Media, September 24, 2025) Pope Leo XIV addressed the topic of divine redemption today in his general audience. Divine redemption is an important concept and principle linked to divine forgiveness - i.e. forgiveness of our transgressions by God. Divine forgiveness is an important topic within forgiveness research because many people in general are … Continue reading Divine Forgiveness: From Faith to Science and Back Again
Live and Forgive 