(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
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Can forgiving be harmful?
(photo: Hartmann Linga, 2025) Forgiveness researcher Robert Enright has published a new piece in Psychology Today examining questions and criticisms focused on whether forgiveness can be harmful. Enwright developed the Guideposts for Forgiving framework and process that is integrated in Live and Forgive presentations, guided retreats, small group series and wilderness walks. In the article, … Continue reading Can forgiving be harmful?
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
Understanding Moral Distress & Moral Injury in the Forgiveness Process
(photo: Human Flourishing Program, Harvard University, 2025) I started Live and Forgive as I completed a program in forgiveness education for faith leaders in the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University. Dr. Tyler VanderWeele is the director of the program, and with colleague Dr. Jennifer Wortham, recently proposed improved definitions of moral distress and moral … Continue reading Understanding Moral Distress & Moral Injury in the Forgiveness Process
Pope Leo Connects Justice to Forgiveness
(photo: Vatican Media, September 20, 2025) Today Pope Leo XIV delivered an address in St. Peter's Square on the occasion of the Jubilee of Justice. In Pilgrims on the Way of Hope: A Resource for the Jubilee of Justice, the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) explains: The Jubilee of Justice is an opportunity … Continue reading Pope Leo Connects Justice to Forgiveness
The First Step in Forgiveness is the First Step
(photo: Muhammad Abdullah Iftikhar, 2017) How do I even start? What makes an effective forgiveness process different from one that doesn't have good results is that an effective process has needed steps, in a needed sequence, with each step defined in the certain way that it needs to be defined. Fortunately, scientists have done a … Continue reading The First Step in Forgiveness is the First Step
Keys to Forgiveness: Patience & Humility
(photo: Tom Delaney, Stearns County, Minnesota 2025) The colors and shapes of the natural world are a joy to behold. As much as nature is set up to perform amazing displays of splendorous color, we ourselves are set up to behold these displays and experience emotional responses of awe, wonder, and joy at them. It … Continue reading Keys to Forgiveness: Patience & Humility
Franciscan Wisdom for Forgiveness: Balance
(photo: Tom Delaney, Sherburne County, Minnesota, 2025) We had a little surprise in the daily parade of deer along the woodline when this young White-Tailed Deer (Ordocoileus virginianus) buck showed up. In Anishinaabemowin, the language of the indigenous Ojibwe people of our area, these deer are called waawaashkeshi. In the language of the indigenous Dakota … Continue reading Franciscan Wisdom for Forgiveness: Balance
Mercy Makes Forgiveness
(photo: Pope Leo XIV and author Diane Foley, Vatican Media, 2025) I have a theory: Learning from experience is fundamentally human. We learn from our experiences, and what we learn changes the way we think, feel, and act -- sometimes a little, but sometimes in ways that transform us. When we are in community with … Continue reading Mercy Makes Forgiveness
Forgiving Makes More Forgiveness
(photo: Prairie Deer Mouse by Tom Delaney, Sherburne County, Minnesota, 2025) An important part of my day is the time I spend in our stable, hay shed, and on our pastures. Regularly doing some outdoor work caring for animals and little ecosystems like pastures, keeps gives me a daily connection to nature and the proverbial … Continue reading Forgiving Makes More Forgiveness
Live and Forgive 