Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Prayer to the Sacred Heart to Help Me Forgive
Lord Jesus, my heart feels like an impenetrable stone as I am struggling to forgive ____________. Please trade my hardened heart for one that flows with mercy like Your own. Give me the grace to let go of bitterness, a desire for revenge, and the need for an apology. Set me free from the captivity of my unforgiving heart and fill me with Your healing love. Amen.
(source)
Reflect
It was a hot summer day in August. I was standing outside cell block 11, where Saint Maximilian Kolbe was martyred, the starvation bunker where he survived for almost two weeks. A simple priest who gave his life for a man he did not even know.
Head bowed, tears streaming down my face, I just started talking to St. Max.
I asked him to pray for me, to help me forgive like Jesus did from the Cross. Earlier that year, my divorce was finalized and I was waiting on the decision of my annulment case. My heart was hard and exhausted. I wanted to have hope about my future, but I was scared. It felt overwhelming to think about what this new season would be like for me. I couldn't even imagine dating again.
Deep down inside, I knew I could never begin to heal from the past few years until I acknowledged that I needed to forgive my former husband. That process began for me in Auschwitz, with St. Max. It was not magic, and all of a sudden I forgave in an instant. But the process began and my heart started to pray for the desire to forgive.
I asked Jesus to help grow the desire in me to forgive, to not harden my heart in bitterness. I prayed for my vocation, the ability to trust again, and someday, for my future husband, whomever he was.
That muggy afternoon in 2016 made me realize that sometimes, when we don’t know how to begin to forgive someone, the best place to start is by asking Jesus for the desire.
Let Us Pray
Jesus, we cannot do anything without Your power and grace. You know the dark, heavy spaces in my heart. You know the people I struggle to forgive. Please give me the desire to forgive those who have wronged me. From Your merciful Heart, give me the desire to forgive. Amen.
For Discussion
Is there a person, situation, or relationship in your life where struggle to forgive? If it feels impossible, can you start by asking Jesus to give you the desire to forgive?
When has Jesus been merciful to you, offering forgiveness even though you wronged Him?
In His Heart: The 2020 Prayer Pledge // Day 4 #BISblog #prayerpledge //Click to tweet
Patty Breen serves as Ministry Formation Manager of Ascension Health and writes online in several different spaces. Her loves include CrossFit, writing and speaking, strong cups of coffee, Ignatian spirituality, and loving on her godchildren, niece, and nephew. Patty is passionate about messy and deep conversations at the intersection of faith, culture, and ministry. Find out more about her here.
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