Man is a perfect and perishable creature at the same time. On the one hand, we are created in the image and likeness of God. So, we have everything to make our life and the fate of the people around us happy. At the same time, quite often bad thoughts arise in our head. We are embraced by despondency, depression, resentment of fate or any of our loved ones, etc. Forgiveness Sunday helps us to remember who we really are. This bright day is the best moment of the year in order to clean up yourself and your relationships with loved ones.
When Forgiveness Sunday Comes and What Its Essence
A long-standing Orthodox tradition of asking forgiveness from everyone whom we accidentally or intentionally offended once has existed since ancient times. Christ Himself in the Gospel of Matthew tells us that as we forgive people their sins, so our Father in Heaven will forgive our mistakes (Matthew 6: 14-15). This day falls on the last Sunday before Lent, which precedes the celebration of Easter. Once in Palestine or Egypt, monks, in order to cleanse their souls before the main Christian holiday - Christ Sunday - went to pray in the desert. At the same time, it could very well happen that she could become their last refuge. Therefore, before leaving, they asked each other for forgiveness and reconciled, as before death. Of course, none of us goes into the desert these days. But entering into Lent with bad thoughts is highly undesirable. Therefore, Forgiveness Sunday is a good opportunity to free your soul from the burden of guilt, in fact, sincerely reconcile with everyone and forgive everyone we are not satisfied with.
How to excuse a person if there is no desire
Forgiveness Sunday has come, and resentment boils in the soul. And it seems that I would like to find justification for the actions or words of the offender, but it does not work out in any way. Have you ever had this? Very often a person says that he cannot forgive. He implies that he still feels and cannot forget the pain inflicted on him. But you can forgive anyone, just remember what example Christ sets for us. The pain may not go away right away. It does not pass instantly and automatically. The main thing is that in the soul there is no desire to take revenge on the offender, the desire to hurt him. We are imperfect, but strive to imitate God, to become like him. We should accept each other as we are, and Forgiveness Sunday helps to keep that in mind.
For what and from whom to apologize
Who should apologize to? In front of the closest, about whom you know exactly what caused them pain? Or act on the principle: "I will apologize to all neighbors just in case"? The Church teaches us to cleanse our souls first of all before those whom we consciously upset, and with whom we have problems and difficulties in relations. Secondly, you need to remember and ask for forgiveness from everyone whom we had little thought of. Thoughts are material and capable of doing harm. Moreover, the closer a person is to us, the more we can harm him. And even if it is not possible to meet the offended in person, you need to imagine a dialogue in your imagination. And then, when the opportunity presents itself to see this person, you need to apologize to him in reality. Thirdly, you need to remember all the claims to yourself and your fate, and then accept everything that happened to us in life.
All the will of God, and ultimately any event, is for our good, whether we believe in it or not. Well, of course, you should not postpone and wait until the Forgiveness Sunday comes, if there is a feeling that the source of love in the soul has begun to gradually dry up. Developing a sense of kinship with everything that surrounds us, we make this world better, we fulfill the commandments given to us more than two thousand years ago, and we feel happiness from unity with the Creator.