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Forgiveness

"I believe with all my heart that the mystery of forgiveness is the entire Gospel. When you 'get' forgiveness, you get it. We use the phrase 'falling in love.' I think forgiveness is almost the same thing. It's a mystery we fall into: the mystery is God. God forgives all things for being imperfect, broken, and poor. Not only Jesus but all the great people who pray that I have met in my life say the same thing. That's the conclusion they come to. The people who know God well, the mystics, the hermits, those who risk everything to find God, always meet a lover, not a dictator. God is never found to be an abusive father or a tyrannical mother, but always a lover who is more than we dared hope for. How different than the 'account manager' that most people seem to worship." - From Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr, as quoted in A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God.

"What can we say about God's love? We can say that God's love is unconditional. God does not say, 'I love you, if ...' There are no ifs in God's heart. God's love for us does not depend on what we do or say, on our looks or intelligence, on our successes or popularity. God's love for us existed before we were born and will exist after we have died. God's love is from eternity to eternity and is not bound to any time-related events or circumstances. Does that mean that God does not care what we do or say? No, because God's love wouldn't be real if God didn't care. To love without condition does not mean to love without concern. God desires to enter into relationship with us and wants us to love God in return.

"Let's dare to enter into an intimate relationship with God without fear, trusting that we will receive love, and always more love." - From Bread for the Journey by Henri J. M. Nouwen, as quoted in A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God.

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