Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge.
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
I have a friend who always claims his motto is “Never forgive, never forget.” It seems off-putting, but as humans with emotions , often we get hurt so much from people we once trusted and loved that we find it hard to forgive, and then the forgetfulness never happens.
Growing up, I was always the straight-A student who excelled in every event and activity, academic or not, that I participated in. I never understood the concept of defeat until I reached the medical college, where I had no one to guide me, I got complacent, and I finally hit rock bottom in my academics. My mental health plummeted, and I burnt bridges with two-faced friends who were enabling my poor academic behavior and would study on the sly (very Asian behavior). Over the course of medical college, we never spoke and I eventually forgot what actually triggered the entire issue.
The same followed during my residency; however, I could not forgive one person who, for no fault of mine, spoke some unwanted stuff about me to the boss (we all have that one coworker) and ruined my reputation at work, causing so much undue mental stress and making me even contemplate quitting.
Then history repeated itself when a disgruntled junior complained that everyone above her was abusive (which included me), while none of us so-called accused could exactly figure out what was the cause of her issues. It did lead to a lot of turmoil and discomfort for the rest of us working.
While the above 2 women I never spoke to ever again and don’t plan to, I do forgive them for their jealousy, which triggered their reaction towards me! Often when we are not able to accomplish things like someone else , instead of being inspired and appreciative, we end up being vindictive and hating on them.
The Gospel today reminds us that we have a chance to resolve our earthly issues before we reach the Father on Judgment Day.
But I would like you as readers to reflect and think of situations in our lives and how we deal with people like these.
I am praying for all of them every day and offering them up to the Lord when I pray during Sunday mass. I offer the pain they brought me , the ill repute and the hate in mine and their hearts be reduced, but honestly, I would have no interest in talking to them or ever having them in my lives!
I ask God to help me forgive the hurt that they gave me, and bless their minds and souls for better behaviour.
AMEN
