Forgive First
“You are obliged to forgive before someone asks you for forgiveness, if you are a Christian. And if he comes and says, “I’m sorry,” so much the better for him. For you, if you are spiritually wise, it is the same, if not better, that he does not ask for forgiveness, because then you humble yourself and receive your full reward from God. But of course you pray out of love that he too may humble himself and ask forgiveness, not for our sake, to satisfy our egoism and confirm that we are right, but so that your brother may benefit, come to self-awareness, and cast the evil out of his heart. Therefore, we always forgive before we are asked for forgiveness.”
Hieromonk Savvas Agioritis
#God #forgiveness #love