“But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” -Matthew 5:22-24
When we surrender ourselves fully to the Lord, our focus becomes fixed on Him. To surrender to the Lord means also to cast aside our self-importance and our pridefulness, and with them goes our tendency to be offended by others. We find that as children of God, the only offenses to us now become those that offend our Lord. If we place the Lord first before all else His love flows more easily through us, and everything falls into its proper order, including forgiveness of others. Because, when we love the Lord above all else and have placed ourselves in the proper place, we understand if there is no offense, there is no need to forgive. Where there would have once been anger, we find there is now only love. Saint Germaine Cousin, pray for us.