Forgive and/or Forget

Joseph Bednarik, Guest Speaker

Diane Frank. Worship Leader
The UUCWI Choir Directed by Eileen Soskin, Accompanied by Karen Heather, Special Music

What should we ask of those who have hurt us before we offer forgiveness – if anything? Must someone seek your forgiveness in order for you to forgive them? What if they can’t or won’t? What about self-forgiveness? Is there a point where something or someone is beyond forgiveness? What about the forgiveness of a group, community, or institution? …Or life itself?

Forgiveness is connected to memory and time. It asks us to engage our feelings about something in the past in order to change our experience in the present and move into the future. Forgiveness is an act of vulnerability – both from the one seeking forgiveness and the one offering it – as it reveals the risks of trying to love in an imperfect world.

By Gretchen Haley