So urgent was it to him that we should be forgiven, that he put it first in his prayer, even before the needs of his Blessed Mother.  And in order to keep it constantly in our memory, he has given it a clause to itself in the prayer which he has taught us and commanded us to use: “Forgive us our trespasses – as we forgive those who trespass against us”.

How often do we repeat those familiar words without giving a thought to what they are committing us!  How easily do we affirm that our forgiveness by God, without which we shall be separated from him for ever, depends among other things on our own forgiveness of others!

And yet, to forgive willingly and wholeheartedly is one of the most difficult things in the world to do, because it goes against all our natural impulses.  We sometimes hear it said, “I can forgive but I can never forget”.  We may be quite sure that there is no forgiveness there; for willingness to forgive implies a readiness to forget.  It is so with God, it has to be so with us.

When the root of bitterness goes deep down into the soul, we cannot forgive in our own power.  We can only pray, “There is bitterness in my heart, O God.  I do not even want to forgive, but it is your commandment so I will try to want to forgive.  Pour into my heart a forgiving spirit”.  And if we then go on and take the practical step of praying earnestly for those who have injured us, the acid in our soul will be neutralised, and finally sweetened.