Forgiveness

Last night I had the privilege of speaking at an interfaith event held at the Islamic Society of Greater Worcester. A Rabbi, a representative of the Sikhi faith, a Muslim, and I spoke about the concept of forgiveness in our faith tradition. We were all amazed by how much our faiths had in common: As human beings we are all sinners, no matter how hard we try to live a good life. We make mistakes, we hurt other people, we hurt ourselves and we act or speak against God's will. We are all in need of forgiveness. We know how difficult it is to forgive, and how freeing it can be. We know that we can't control what others do, we can only control our own decisions and actions. And we all believe that God is merciful and that it is not up to us to judge others.
Our Muslim brothers and sisters had their prayers at sunset, and we feasted on a wonderful meal, continuing our conversations. It was a time of learning, of laughter, of hospitality, and of hope: Hope that together, we can make this world better. We can learn to understand each other and don't have to fear one another. We all want a better world, where everyone can live in freedom and safety. We all want to reach our young people with the message of faith and hope, and we want to bring comfort to those who are struggling.
I had to officiate at the funeral for a child last week. It helped me put things in perspective. Life can be over so quickly. It's too short to be holding on to grudges or past hurts, to blame, or guilt. Life is too short for us not to forgive.
May God help us live in peace, and bring healing to our hurting hearts.