Here is part of today’s Gospel, from St Matthew: ‘Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven’.

‘Forgiveness’ is a key theme in all of our lives, for we all have situations in our lives where we either need to forgive, or be forgiven, or both. There is a remarkable book called ‘Forgiven’, by Terri Roberts, the mother of Charlie Roberts, the perpetrator of the Amish school shooting on 2 October 2006. The book describes her journey into forgiveness, from the special perspective of a mother, given also that her son finally turned the gun on himself. It is a searingly honest book and well worth reading.

The Lord’s prayer puts it succinctly: ‘Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us’. May He grant us the grace to make this journey in our own lives, and may God bless you this day.