If we do not forgive others, God will neither forgive us nor accept any sacrifice we make
November 21, 2021 • 2 min
From The Sinner’s Guide, page 364
By Venerable Louis of Granada
If it be hard to subdue your anger, excited by an injury from one of your fellow-creatures, consider how much more God has borne from you and how much He has endured for you.
Were you not His enemy when He shed the last drop of His blood for you? And behold with what sweetness and patience He bears with your daily offences against Him, and with what mercy and tenderness He receives you when you return to Him.
If anger urge that your enemy does not deserve forgiveness, ask yourself how far you have merited God’s pardon. Will you have God exercise only mercy towards you, when you pursue your neighbor with implacable hatred?
And if it be true that your enemy does not deserve pardon from you, it will be equally true that you do not deserve pardon from God. Remember that the pardon which man has not merited for himself Christ has superabundantly merited for him. For love of Him, therefore, forgive all who have offended you.
Be assured, moreover, that as long as hatred predominates in your heart you can make no offering which will be acceptable to God, Who has said: “If thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath anything against thee, leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift.” [St. Matt. v. 23, 24.]
Hence you can realize how grievous is the sin of enmity among men, since it causes an enmity between God and us, and destroys the merit of all our good works. “We gain no merit from good works,” says St. Gregory, “if we have not learned to endure injuries with patience.” [“Moral.,” xxi. 16.]
Latest book snippets
Search | Random | 909 total | 50h 1m
June 7, 2022
God’s goodness in giving Himself to us sinners should inspire us with even greater humility, trust and love
1 min — Imitation of Christ
June 6, 2022
The more we preserve our hearts for God, the more will he fill us with Divine Love and Grace
1 min — Imitation of ChristThe love of friends must only depend on and exist in the Love of God
1 min — Imitation of Christ
May 24, 2022
Mary’s love was greater than any angel’s or saint’s as much as the moon is bigger and brighter than any star
1 min — The Month of Mary According to the Spirit of St. Francis De SalesMary only slept in order to love and serve God better
2 min — The Month of Mary According to the Spirit of St. Francis De Sales
May 17, 2022
May 17th: Mary not only practiced perfect obedience, but recommended it to all in the Gospel
2 min — The Month of Mary According to the Spirit of St. Francis De Sales
May 15, 2022
May 15th: The union of Humility and Charity in the Blessed Virgin Mary
4 min — The Month of Mary According to the Spirit of St. Francis De SalesMay 15th: The three Unions that occurred at the Incarnation
2 min — The Month of Mary According to the Spirit of St. Francis De Sales
May 13, 2022
By humility and a desire to love God, we begin to pray, which is so effective against the devil that he tries to convince us not to
2 min — The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena