Choosing Forgiveness: Unleash the Power of God's Grace

by Fr Thomas Berg, Lock

Overview

To say that offering forgiveness is a challenge is an understatement. Forgiveness is tough! Forgiveness is often messy. Forgiveness doesn't feel good to most of us. And when it comes to the biggest, deepest hurts in life, forgiveness can seem impossible. Some hurts are everyday irritations we endure for having to live with other human beings who lose their tempers, get up on the wrong side of the bed, say nasty things, and are ungrateful, selfish, and irritable. Some hurts are of a magnitude that far transcends these - degradation, exploitation, abandonment, rejection, humiliation, racism, bullying, and even physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. But with God's grace, even in those most difficult cases, forgiveness is possible. In Choosing Forgiveness, Fr. Thomas Berg and Dr. Timothy Lock are your guides on the way toward forgiveness through the grace of God. This book will help you discover the pathway to healing, peace, and interior freedom, releasing you and those who have wronged you from the bondage of unforgiveness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681926537
Publisher:	Our Sunday Visitor, Publishing Division
Publication date:	03/07/2022
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	5.43(w) x 8.43(h) x 0.47(d)

About the Author

Fr. Thomas Berg is a priest of the Archdiocese of New York. He is professor of moral theology and director of seminarian admissions at St. Joseph's Seminary (Dunwoodie) in Yonkers, New York. He is the author of Hurting in the Church: A Way Forward for Wounded Catholics (OSV, 2017).

Dr. Timothy Lock is a Catholic father, husband, Franciscan tertiary, clinical psychologist, and professional speaker. He is the founder and director of the Goretti Center for Healing and Forgiveness and full-time director of Psychological Services at St. Joseph's Seminary (Dunwoodie).

Table of Contents

Introduction: So, Why Are You Reading This Book? (Re)Discovering the Joy and Freedom of Forgiveness 11

Part 1 Forgiveness: The Challenge and the Grace

Chapter 1 Getting at the Root: What Does It Mean to Forgive? 23

Chapter 2 Maybe the Hardest Case of All: What Does It Mean to Forgive Yourself? 37

Chapter 3 How Do You Know When You've Really Forgiven Someone?: Human Forgiveness and Graced Forgiveness 51

Chapter 4 Opening to Grace: How Jesus Helps Us to Forgive 63

Chapter 5 The Key You've Been Looking For: Forgiveness as a Pathway to Inner Healing 73

Part 2 Forgiveness: The Process and the Possibilities

Chapter 6 So How Do We Do It?: Forgiveness In a Four-Step Process 89

Chapter 7 Going Deep: The Whole-Life Forgiveness Exercise 109

Chapter 8 Going Even Deeper: Forgiveness as Prayer and Worship 117

Chapter 9 Saying "I Forgive You": The Possibility of Reconciliation 133

Conclusion 149

Afterword: Can Forgiveness Help Heal a Hurting Church? 153

Prayer to Mary, Mother of Forgiveness 167

Notes 169