Forgiveness

“It happened one day that one of the brethren in the monastery of Abba Elias was tempted. Cast out of the monastery, he went over the mountain to Abba Anthony. The brother lived near him for a while and then Anthony sent him back to the monastery from which he had been expelled. When the brothers saw him they cast him out yet again, and he went back to Abba Anthony saying, ‘My Father, they will not receive me.' Then the old man sent them a message saying, ‘A boat was shipwrecked at sea and lost its cargo; with great difficulty it reached the shore; but you want to throw into the sea that which has found a safe harbour on the shore.' When the brothers understood that it was Abba Anthony who had sent them this monk, they received him at once.” -The Sayings of the Desert Fathers (Abba Anthony the Great, paragraph 21)

This seems to me to be a case where the brother was not forgiven for his mistakes.

He was cast out of his monastery for something and went to Abba Anthony who welcomed him.

Then, he sent the brother back after a while.

The monastery did not receive him. I’m assuming this brother had apologized and tried to reconcile.

Abba Anthony ended up having to intervene and send the monastery a message to correct them.

They then realized that they should welcome the brother back.

This is how we often act towards people who hurt us or do something unkind to us.

Even after they apologize and try to reconcile, we still hold a grudge or resist being around them.

Let us realize how flawed and fallen each one of us is, so that we can more easily forgive others of their faults.