Even if we know that forgiveness is the path to happiness, our capacity for forgiveness is always limited, superficial, conditioned. However, we are aware that we need to forgive and be forgiven.
Every act of forgiveness is a free and conscious choice that must always be renewed with humility and a generous heart. It is never a habit, but a challenging path that is the fruit of discovering ourselves as brothers and sisters.
How many times may the people we live with - in the family, in the neighborhood, at work or study - have wronged us and it is difficult for us to resume a positive relationship! What to do? Let's get up in the morning with a complete "amnesty" in our hearts, with that love that covers everything, that knows how to welcome the other as he is, with his limits, his difficulties, just like a mother would do with her own child who makes mistakes: she always excuses him, she always forgives him, she always hopes in him...
We approach each one by seeing them with new eyes, as if they had never incurred those defects. Every time we start again not only to forgive, but also to forget: this is the measure. It is a high goal towards which we can walk with the perspective of "us", of brotherhood: I don't think only of myself, but also of others. My ability to forgive is supported by the love of others, and on the other hand, my love can in some way feel its brother's mistake: perhaps it also depends on me, perhaps I have not done all my part so that he feels welcomed, understood...
In an Italian city characterized by a complex social context, two groups of people sincerely interested in the common good have long been living an intense experience of dialogue which has required overcoming some difficulties that initially seemed insurmountable. The first approach was one of distrust and it seemed clear from the host group that this meeting was not welcome. The love offered by sharing the food brought for the occasion had helped to break the ice but, despite this, some had begun to underline the defects they saw in the other association. Not wanting to get into a war of words, the "newcomers" asked what flaw or difference could ever be so strong as to prevent them from loving each other: in fact that was a recognized value between the two groups. That question was the turning point to start talking about what united them and at the end of that first meeting they parted with a mutual promise to meet again and expand their circle of friends. And the relationship continues today.