In the course of their dealings they began to lie and cheat and work to undercut the other, justifying their behavior with the excuse that the other fellow had started it. One night an angel appeared to one of the shopkeepers with an offer of grace. But there is one catch. Whatever you ask of God will be given twice over to your rival shopkeeper. Listen, forgiveness is the best revenge.
Forgiveness heals our own wounds.
And forgiveness repairs the torn fabric of human society by removing one more ounce of hostility from the social milieu. The practice of forgiveness calls us willingly to do things with and for one another so that communion can be restored. Forgiveness works through our ongoing willingness to give up certain claims against one another, to give the truth when we assess relationships with one another, and to give gifts of ourselves by making innovative gestures that offer a future not bound by the past. Being forgiven requires a willingness to honor a new claim that has been made on us, to speak with a new truthfulness, and to live in a new way with one another. It is the symbol of God's costly forgiveness.