Forgiveness is essential to lead a life of communion with God. In the same way that the Lord forgave us, we must forgive our neighbor. I have rarely met someone who says, "I am not willing to forgive." Most respond automatically: "Of course I am willing to forgive."
But are we really willing?
Think about your life, do you remember any incident in which you did not want to forgive?
Jesus exemplified his order to forgive 490 times with an exceptional parable. He described a servant who owed the king millions. There was no way this poor worker could pay that debt. Therefore, he went to the king and begged him to give him more time to comply with the agreement. The king had the legal right to send him to prison, but he forgave the debt and let the servant go on his way.
One might think that someone who received such a show of mercy would seek a way to show that same consideration for others. This sure man felt light as a feather. However, he immediately went in search of a man who owed him a misery. He took it by the neck and shouted: Pay me!
The debtor begged him to give him a little more time and pay him. He made a claim that sounds familiar to us, however, this man, instead of showing the same kind of mercy they had with him, sent the debtor to jail.
"When the other servants saw what happened, they became very sad and went to tell their lord everything that had happened."
The man reacted angrily: "Evil servant! ... I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Shouldn't you have felt sorry for your partner, as I also feel for you?" (Mt 18: 31-33)
Then, the king who was terribly angry handed him over to the jailers for torture until he paid the last penny, for being so ungrateful (v. 34).
Jesus finished the parable with these chilling words: "So also my heavenly Father will treat you, unless each one forgives his brother from the heart."
When our emotions torture us, we must realize if we have forgiven those who have failed us. Forgiving those who have hurt us is essential, otherwise we will remain locked in the prison of bitterness and hate.