(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
Research
“New Things” in Theology Point to the Science of Mental Health
(photo: Sherburne County, Minnesota (USA), Tom Delaney, 2025) And just like that...it's winter here in Central Minnesota. The snow fell overnight while a stiff wind blew from the north that shook the forest. Fittingly, today's Liturgy of the Word includes the beautiful canticle from Daniel (Chapter 3) and ... Cold and chill, bless the Lord;Praise … Continue reading “New Things” in Theology Point to the Science of Mental Health
Is refusing forgiveness good for you?
(photo: Sherburne County, Minnesota, Tom Delaney, 2025) The northern lights were on spectacular display earlier this week here in Central Minnesota. The wonder of their intense color and ambling hues easily reminds us that there is something much bigger than us afoot in our universe. We thrill to the sight of the northern lights and … Continue reading Is refusing forgiveness good for you?
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
Forgiveness Education is Mental Health Education Grounded in Love of God and Neighbor
(photo: Bishop Timothy Dolan, OSV News, Gregory A. Shemitz, 2025) Bishop Dolan is a vocal advocate for the work of the Catholic Church to promote mental health in all of its communities. He founded the International Association of Catholic Health Ministers after experiencing the suicide of his brother, and several family members before him. OSV … Continue reading Forgiveness Education is Mental Health Education Grounded in Love of God and Neighbor
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
Templeton Foundation Forgiveness Resources Available for Fall 2025
(photo: Alex Polezhaev, 2008) The Templeton World Charity Foundation has compiled and released a set of freely available forgiveness resources with the idea that autumn is a time to strengthen our immune systems, and that includes forgiveness. The resources include: Research Spotlight: Forgiveness and Physical Health Forgiveness as a Stress Buffer Linking Forgiveness and Physical … Continue reading Templeton Foundation Forgiveness Resources Available for Fall 2025
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
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
Recognizing Hidden Anger is Step #1 in Forgiveness
(art: Hope, George Frederick Watts, 1886) Anger is a normal and temporarily helpful response to a hurtful event. As an emotion, anger can help us summon the energy to protect ourselves in a situation, or to hastily remove ourselves from a situation even if it means needing a burst of exertion to get past barriers. … Continue reading Recognizing Hidden Anger is Step #1 in Forgiveness
Live and Forgive 