Here and Now with Francis 3/2/16 (forgiveness, mercy, compassion, sin, God)
“Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors [is] an equation.” In other words, “if you are not capable of forgiveness, how can God forgive you?”
From a homily
[Forgiveness] dynamic is the following: “I turn to God, remind him of his mercy and ask his forgiveness” — but “forgiveness as God gives it”. The Pontiff then expanded on a characteristic of the forgiveness of God, whose perfection is so incomprehensible to us men and women: he reaches the point of “forgetting” our sins. “When God forgives”, the Pope said, “his forgiveness is so great that it is as if ‘he has forgotten’”. Thus, “once we are at peace with God through his mercy”, if we ask the Lord: “Do you remember that bad thing that I did?”, he might answer: “Which one? I don’t remember...”. Francis explained that this is “completely the opposite of what we do”, and which often comes out in our “gossip." [link]