PRAYER FOR FORGIVENESS
By Robert DeGrandis, SSJ

  

Lord Jesus Christ, I ask today to forgive everyone in my life. I know that You will give me the strength to forgive and I thank You that You love me more than I love myself and want happiness more than I desire it for myself.

Father, forgive me for the times I blamed You when death has come into the family, when I experienced hard times and financial difficulties, or what I thought were punishments set by You and people said "It's God's will", and I became bitter and resentful towards You. Purify my heart and mind today.

Lord, I forgive myself for my sins, faults and failings, for all that is bad in myself or that I think is bad, I forgive myself. For any delving in superstition, using ouija boards, horoscopes, going to séances, using fortune telling or wearing lucky charms, I reject all that superstition and choose You alone as my Lord and Savior. Fill me with your Holy Spirit.

I further forgive myself for taking Your name in vain, not worshipping You by attending church, for hurting my parents, getting drunk, for sins against purity, bad books, bad movies, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, ______________. You have forgiven me, today I forgive myself. Also for abortion, stealing, lying, defrauding, hurting people's reputation, I forgive myself.

I truly forgive my mother. I forgive her for all the times she hurt me, she resented me, she was angry with me and for all the times she punished me. I forgive her for the times she preferred my brothers and sisters to me. I forgive her for the times she told me I was dumb, ugly, stupid, the worst of the children or that I cost the family a lot of money. For the times she told me I was unwanted, an accident, a mistake or not what she expected. I forgive her.

I forgive my father. I forgive him for any non-support, any lack of love, affection or attention. I forgive him for any lack of time, for not giving me his companionship, for his drinking, arguing and fighting with my mother or the other children. For his severe punishments, for desertion, for being away from home, for divorcing my mother or for any running around, I do forgive him.

Lord, I extend forgiveness to my sisters and brothers. I forgive those who rejected me, lied about me, hated me, resented me, competed for my parents' love, those who hurt me, who physically harmed me. For those who were too severe on me, punished me or made my life unpleasant in any way, I do forgive them.

Lord, I forgive my spouse for lack of love, affection, consideration, support, attention, communication, for faults, failings, weakness and those other acts or words that hurt or disturb me.

Jesus, I forgive my children for their lack of respect, obedience, love, attention, support, warmth, understanding, for their bad habits, falling away from the church, any bad actions which disturb me.

Lord, I forgive my in-laws, my mother-in-law, father-in-law, sons/daughters-in-law and other relatives by marriage, who treat my family with lack of love. For all their words, thoughts, actions or omissions which injure and cause pain, I forgive them.

Please help me to forgive my relatives, my grandmother and grandfather, aunts, uncles, cousins, who may have interfered in our family, been possessive of my parents, who may have caused confusion or turned one parent against the other.

Jesus, help me to forgive my colleagues who are disagreeable or make life miserable for me. For those who push their work off me, gossip about me, won't cooperate with me, try to take my job, I do forgive them.

My neighbors need to be forgiven, Lord. For all their noise, letting their property run down, not tying up their dogs who run through my yard, not taking in their trash barrels, being prejudiced and running down the neighborhood, I do forgive them.

I now forgive all priests, pastors, nuns and religious brothers, church leaders and elders, my parish, my parish ministries, Rev._____________, Bishop___________ and my church_________________ for their lack of support, affirmation, bad sermons, pettiness, lack of friendliness, verbal abuses, not providing me or my family, even in the distant past, I forgive them today.

I forgive those of different religious denominations who have tried to convert me, harassed me, attacked me, argued with me, forced their views on me.

Lord, I forgive all those who are of different persuasions, those of opposite political views who have attacked me, ridiculed me, discriminated against me, made fun of me, economically hurt me. Those who have harmed me ethnically, have discriminated against me, mocked me, made jokes about my race or nationally, hurt my family physically, emotionally or economically, I do forgive them today.

Lord, I forgive all professional people who have hurt me in any way: doctors, nurses, lawyers, judges, politicians and all civil servants. I forgive all service people: policemen, firemen, bus drivers, hospital workers and especially repairmen who have taken advantage of me in their work.

Lord, I forgive my employer for not paying me enough money, for not appreciating my work, for being unkind and unreasonable with me, for being angry or unfriendly, for not promoting me, and for not complementing me on my work.

Lord, I forgive my schoolteachers and instructors of the past as well as the present. For those who punished me, humiliated me, insulted me, treated me unjustly, made fun of me, called me dumb or stupid, made me stay after school, I forgive them today.

Lord, I forgive my friends who have let me down, lost contact with me, do not support me, were not available when I needed help, borrowed money and did not return it, gossiped about me.

Lord Jesus, I especially pray for the grace of forgiveness for that one person in my life who has hurt me the most. I ask to forgive anyone who I consider my greatest enemy, the one who is the hardest to forgive or the one who I said I will never forgive.

Lord, I beg pardon of all these people for the hurt I have inflicted on them, especially my mother and father, and my marriage partner. I am especially sorry for the three greatest hurts I have inflicted on each.

Thank you, Jesus, that I am being freed of the evil of unforgiveness. Let Your Holy Spirit fill me with light and let every dark area of my mind be enlightened. Amen.

In Him we have redemption, through His Blood the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding (Eph 1: 7-8)