One More Time

The F Word.

It may be one of the most emotionally charged words in the English language.

People say it in anger. They say it when they have been hurt. Sometimes it comes after betrayal, after disappointment, after someone has done something that seems impossible to get past. It can change the temperature of a conversation in an instant. Bring it into the wrong room at the wrong time and people become uncomfortable. Some would rather not hear it at all. For generations, people have struggled with whether it should be said, when it should be said, and whether saying it somehow crosses a line.

The F word?

Forgiveness.

And if another word came to mind, perhaps that proves the point. Because forgiveness can be an uncomfortable word. It is easy enough when the offense is small, the apology sincere, and little has been lost. But forgiveness becomes something altogether different when the wound is real. Peter seems to understand that.

In today’s Gospel Lesson,…