Chapter 13: Lauds on ordinary days (paragraph 2)
It is important that the celebration of Lauds and Vespers should never be concluded without the recitation by the superior of the whole of the Lord's prayer so that all may hear and attend to it. This is because of the harm that is often done in a community by the thorns of conflict which can arise. (From para. 2 of Ch. 13 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
For me, forgiveness does not come through the ego or an act of my will. Forgiveness comes through grace -- a sense of belonging to God and to all of creation.
“Forgive us as we forgive.” The message of the Lord’s Prayer reminds me of what was the most instructive definition of forgiveness I have ever heard. Forgiveness means “giving up all hope of changing the past.” And that means, for me, that forgiveness must begin in that place where letting go of the past most challenges me. It must begin with the person above all that I have the most difficulty forgiving: myself. Meditation and the mantra become, therefore, a school of forgiveness, as they teach me how to focus on the now, the present moment, how to let go of both the past and the future. And find rest and peace in you, Abba.
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