Community June 20
But if they have offended one another, they must forgive one another’s trespasses for the sake of your prayers which should be recited with greater sincerity each time you repeat them (Rule of Augustine, 42).
The lie about personal sin must first be avoided on the inside of oneself. That lie should die in the heart before it fouls the mouth and then erodes social foundations. Sin is admitted to first within oneself and without delay. The person squarely faces the reality, the irresponsibility, the damage. They are confessed honestly to God. But the lie about personal sin must also be avoided outside oneself. One cannot simply hide behind an interior feeling of regret, as if that were sufficient to rectify the situation. In all vulnerability, the person has to go to the one offended to apologize, ask pardon, make amends. The mark of the most sincere reconciliation is the effort to behave differently in the future. One can confess in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. At the same time, the person must accord the same pardon to those who have offended him or her. Then, one can take a place at the Eucharistic Table and pray in peace, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.”
Don't meddle in the arguments between two brothers. You will be laughed at. (Nande)
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