The Reading Today
• Daily Theme: The Command to Forgive, Transactional Motives, and Extreme Grace
• Source Material: "On Forgiveness" (The Weight of Glory)
• Source Material: "On Forgiveness" (The Weight of Glory)
My Reflection
Today’s passage steps away from domestic squabbles and presents a much steeper challenge. Forgiveness is a word we hear bandied about quite freely these days, but in practice, we all know some things are far easier to forgive than others. I can usually forgive someone for eating my last piece of chocolate (though that is a challenge in itself) or for minor petty thefts. Yet, in our minds, there exists an unwritten hierarchy of sins. While we are commanded to forgive all offences, some present such a colossal challenge they border on the impossible.
I am fortunate to have only once been in a situation where I had to work very, very hard at forgiveness. It took a long time, but I eventually got there. However, looking back, I often question my own motives. I felt I needed to forgive simply to move on with my life, to stop being weighed down by the anchor of anger and resentment. It certainly cleared the way for my own peace, but were those the right motives? Was my forgiveness purely transactional? Was I doing it for my own benefit rather than for the person I was forgiving?
Then there are situations where forgiveness feels entirely unimaginable. How do we forgive acts of sheer barbarity, mass murder, or genocide? This is the ultimate test—one I have thankfully been spared. Whenever I see a grieving parent stand up in a courtroom to tell their child’s murderer that they forgive them, I marvel at their profound courage and strength. I genuinely do not know if I could do the same.
To lighten the mood on what is quite a heavy reading today, Lewis’s mention of the Lord's Prayer reminded me of my old school assemblies. We would dutifully recite the prayer together, only for the headmaster to regularly berate us. Whenever we reached the line, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," he would complain that we all sounded like a bunch of hissing snakes.
Historical Footnote (28th August)
1947: C.S. Lewis writes “On Forgiveness" at the request of Father Patrick Kevin Irwin for inclusion in the parish magazine of the Church of St. Mary, Sawston, Cambridgeshire.
Today’s passage steps away from domestic squabbles and presents a much steeper challenge. Forgiveness is a word we hear bandied about quite freely these days, but in practice, we all know some things are far easier to forgive than others. I can usually forgive someone for eating my last piece of chocolate (though that is a challenge in itself) or for minor petty thefts. Yet, in our minds, there exists an unwritten hierarchy of sins. While we are commanded to forgive all offences, some present such a colossal challenge they border on the impossible.
I am fortunate to have only once been in a situation where I had to work very, very hard at forgiveness. It took a long time, but I eventually got there. However, looking back, I often question my own motives. I felt I needed to forgive simply to move on with my life, to stop being weighed down by the anchor of anger and resentment. It certainly cleared the way for my own peace, but were those the right motives? Was my forgiveness purely transactional? Was I doing it for my own benefit rather than for the person I was forgiving?
Then there are situations where forgiveness feels entirely unimaginable. How do we forgive acts of sheer barbarity, mass murder, or genocide? This is the ultimate test—one I have thankfully been spared. Whenever I see a grieving parent stand up in a courtroom to tell their child’s murderer that they forgive them, I marvel at their profound courage and strength. I genuinely do not know if I could do the same.
To lighten the mood on what is quite a heavy reading today, Lewis’s mention of the Lord's Prayer reminded me of my old school assemblies. We would dutifully recite the prayer together, only for the headmaster to regularly berate us. Whenever we reached the line, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," he would complain that we all sounded like a bunch of hissing snakes.
Historical Footnote (28th August)
1947: C.S. Lewis writes “On Forgiveness" at the request of Father Patrick Kevin Irwin for inclusion in the parish magazine of the Church of St. Mary, Sawston, Cambridgeshire.
Why This Matters
Forgiveness is not presented as a polite suggestion or a self-help tool; it is a rigorous, demanding command that challenges our deepest sense of justice. It forces us to confront whether our grace is given freely, or only when the offence is small enough to comfortably overlook.
My Action for Today
Today, I will reflect on my own conditions for forgiveness, examining whether I hold onto small resentments and working to release them before they turn into heavy burdens.
Today, I will reflect on my own conditions for forgiveness, examining whether I hold onto small resentments and working to release them before they turn into heavy burdens.
Reader Question
Do you think it is possible to forgive someone purely for their sake, or is forgiveness always partly about freeing ourselves?
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