Who benefits the most from your forgiveness? Would it surprise you to know that it is you? For whenever we forgive another, we are in truth forgiving ourselves, as well. We would not even accuse another of any wrong if we were not familiar with the very same quality in our own thoughts and feelings.
True forgiveness goes down deep into the heart of the matter. Sometimes we think we have forgiven, but it is only on a surface level. We are able to speak politely, even to act friendly, but inside there is still the sting of bitterness and resentment. This is certainly not going to hurt the other person, but it will eat away at our peace of mind until we cleanse our consciousness completely. We may not even be aware of this hidden resentment, since all seems well on the outer.
Let us ask in prayer for a deep cleansing of our minds and hearts and be done with all mistakes of the past forever—freeing ourselves and truly freeing others.