© 2011 Jean Duveau
© 2011 French-speaking Association of Readers of the Urantia Book
Rather than dwelling on the offense of the damage,
rather than dreaming of revenge or vengeance,
they stop the evil by themselves…
Forgiveness is the most powerful act
that it may be given to men to accomplish.
The event that could have caused brutality to increase
in the world serves the growth of love.
Wounded beings who forgive
transform their own wound.
They heal - where they are - the wound that disfigures
humanity since its origins: violence.
The man who forgives is like Jesus.
The man who forgives makes God present.
Gerard Bessiere
And still on the subject of forgiveness:
““When a wise man understands the inner impulses of his fellows, he will love them. And when you love your brother, you have already forgiven him. This capacity to understand man’s nature and forgive his apparent wrongdoing is Godlike. If you are wise parents, this is the way you will love and understand your children, even forgive them when transient misunderstanding has apparently separated you. The child, being immature and lacking in the fuller understanding of the depth of the child-father relationship, must frequently feel a sense of guilty separation from a father’s full approval, but the true father is never conscious of any such separation. Sin is an experience of creature consciousness; it is not a part of God’s consciousness.”
““Your inability or unwillingness to forgive your fellows is the measure of your immaturity, your failure to attain adult sympathy, understanding, and love. You hold grudges and nurse vengefulness in direct proportion to your ignorance of the inner nature and true longings of your children and your fellow beings. Love is the outworking of the divine and inner urge of life. It is founded on understanding, nurtured by unselfish service, and perfected in wisdom.”” (UB 174:1.4-5)
Yours sincerely
Jean Duveau