2. Forgiveness! Christ taught us to forgive. He spoke of forgiveness many times and in various ways. When Peter asked him how many times he should forgive his neighbour – ‘up to seven times?’ – Jesus replied that he should forgive ‘seventy times seven’ (Mt 18:21ff). In practice, this means always: indeed, the number ‘seventy’ multiplied by ‘seven’ is symbolic, and signifies, rather than a specific quantity, an incalculable, infinite quantity. In answering the question of how one ought to pray, Christ uttered those magnificent words addressed to the Father: ‘Our Father who art in heaven’; and amongst the petitions that make up this prayer, the last one speaks of forgiveness: ‘Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors’ – that is, those who have wronged us. Finally, Christ himself confirmed the truth of these words on the Cross, when, turning to the Father, he implored: ‘Forgive them!’, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’ (Luke 23:34).
‘Forgiveness’ is a word spoken by a man who has been wronged. Indeed, it is the word of the human heart. In this word of the heart, each of us strives to overcome the barrier of enmity that may separate us from another, seeking to rebuild the inner space of understanding, contact and bond. Christ taught us through the words of the Gospel, and above all through his own example, that this space opens up not only before our fellow human beings, but at the same time before God himself. The Father, who is the God of forgiveness and mercy, desires to act precisely within this space of human forgiveness; he desires to forgive those who are mutually capable of forgiving one another, those who seek to put into practice these words: ‘Forgive us, … as we forgive’.
Forgiveness is a grace which must be contemplated with profound humility and gratitude. It is a mystery of the human heart, which is difficult to expound upon.
5. Christ taught us to forgive. Forgiveness is also indispensable so that God may pose questions to the human conscience, to which He awaits a response in all inner truth.
In this age, when so many innocent people perish at the hands of others, there seems to be a particular need to draw near to each of those who kill, to draw near with forgiveness in our hearts and with the very same question that God, the Creator and Lord of human life, put to the first man who had attempted to take his brother’s life and had taken it away – having taken that which belongs solely to the Creator and Lord of life.
Christ taught us to forgive. He taught Peter to forgive ‘up to seventy times seven’ (Mt 18:22). God himself forgives when man responds to the question addressed to his conscience and his heart with all the inner truth of conversion.
Leaving judgement and sentence in their definitive form to God himself, let us never cease to ask: ‘Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors’.
[Pope John Paul II, General Audience, 21 October 1981]
Dialogo e Solstizio
Sep 5, 2026
Written by
don Giuseppe Nespeca
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A space that opens up before us
don Giuseppe Nespeca
Giuseppe Nespeca è architetto e sacerdote. Cultore della Sacra scrittura è autore della raccolta "Due Fuochi due Vie - Religione e Fede, Vangeli e Tao"; coautore del libro "Dialogo e Solstizio".
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.In the divine attitude justice is pervaded with mercy, whereas the human attitude is limited to justice. Jesus exhorts us to open ourselves with courage to the strength of forgiveness, because in life not everything can be resolved with justice. We know this (Pope Francis)
Nell’atteggiamento divino la giustizia è pervasa dalla misericordia, mentre l’atteggiamento umano si limita alla giustizia. Gesù ci esorta ad aprirci con coraggio alla forza del perdono, perché nella vita non tutto si risolve con la giustizia; lo sappiamo (Papa Francesco)
The basis of Christian construction is listening to and the fulfilment of the word of Christ (Pope John Paul II)
Alla base della costruzione cristiana c’è l’ascolto e il compimento della parola di Cristo (Papa Giovanni Paolo II)
These divisions are seen in the relationships between individuals and groups, and also at the level of larger groups: nations against nations and blocs of opposing countries in a headlong quest for domination [Reconciliatio et Paenitentia n.2]
Queste divisioni si manifestano nei rapporti fra le persone e fra i gruppi, ma anche a livello delle più vaste collettività: nazioni contro nazioni, e blocchi di paesi contrapposti, in un'affannosa ricerca di egemonia [Reconciliatio et Paenitentia n.2]
Mary "Girl" [...] point of convergence and arrival of a complex of divine promises, mysteriously echoed in the very heart of history (Pope John Paul II)
Maria “Bambina” […] punto di convergenza e di arrivo di un complesso di promesse divine, echeggiate misteriosamente nel cuore stesso della storia (Papa Giovanni Paolo II)
Luke’s passage puts before the eyes a double slavery: that of man «with his hand paralyzed, slave of his illness», and that of the «Pharisees, scribes, slaves of their rigid, legalistic attitudes» (Pope Francis)
Il racconto di Luca mette davanti agli occhi una duplice schiavitù: quella dell’uomo «con la mano paralizzata, schiavo della sua malattia», e quella «dei farisei, degli scribi, schiavi dei loro atteggiamenti rigidi, legalistici» (Papa Francesco)
Origen says “we should practise this symphony” (Commentary on the Gospel according to Matthew, 14,1), in other words this harmony within the Christian community [Pope Benedict]
Dice Origene che “dobbiamo esercitarci in questa sinfonia” (Commento al Vangelo di Matteo 14, 1), cioè in questa concordia all’interno della comunità cristiana [Papa Benedetto]
Thus in communion with Christ, in a faith that creates charity, the entire Law is fulfilled. We become just by entering into communion with Christ who is Love (Pope Benedict)
Così nella comunione con Cristo, nella fede che crea la carità, tutta la Legge è realizzata. Diventiamo giusti entrando in comunione con Cristo che è l'amore (Papa Benedetto)
«Francis was reproaching his brethren too harsh towards themselves, and who came to exhaustion by means of vigils, fasts, prayers and corporal penances» [FS 1470]
«Francesco muoveva rimproveri ai suoi fratelli troppo duri verso se stessi, e che arrivavano allo sfinimento a forza di veglie, digiuni, orazioni e penitenze corporali» [FF 1470]
From a human point of view, he thinks that there should be distance between the sinner and the Holy One. In truth, his very condition as a sinner requires that the Lord not distance Himself from him, in the same way that a doctor cannot distance himself from those who are sick (Pope Francis)
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