“Forgiveness:!A!Study!Guide!”!E-book!
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Forgiveness
A Study Guide
John Hendry, Philip Huggins,
Hugh Kempster, Felicity McCallum
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Forgiveness: A Study Guide
Copyright © 2021
John Hendry, Philip Huggins, Hugh Kempster, Felicity McCallum
First edition 2021
E-book 2021
Published by
F-troop
110 Domain Street
South Yarra
Victoria 3141
Australia
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright
reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in or introduced into a database and retrieval system
or transmitted in any form or any means (electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written
permission of the above owners of copyright.
Cover art by Glenn Loughrey
Cover design by Ree Boddé
Cover photography by Christoph Ziegenhardt
Printing by Printbooks – https://printbooks.com.au
ISBN: 978-0-9875184-1-5
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For Jack Hendry and Mahrahkah,
whose lives inspire a forgiving culture
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CONTENTS
___________________________________________________
Acknowledgement of Country 6
Introduction 7
Session 1: Love Your Enemies 11
Session 2: Forgive Us Our Sins 20
Session 3: Let There Be Light 29
Session 4: Living In Relationship 38
Session 5: Love One Another 49
Session 6: Father, Forgive Them 60
References and Sources 71
The Authors 76
The Artist 79
Cover Art: “In Search of Peace” 80
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
___________________________________________________
In the spirit of reconciliation, Felicity, Philip, John and Hugh
acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country and waterways
throughout Australia, and the intrinsic connection to land, sea and
community that our First Australians have always had; a deep and
holistic connection that always will be.
We acknowledge all people, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous,
who call Australia home, and that all Australians have a
relationship with this place. We exist in a community of
relationships. We pray and work for reconciliation throughout
Australia.
We respect First People’s Elders past and present and extend that
respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
Bo wiyeaka kakilliko Awabakal.
Particularly, I acknowledge the Awabakal ancestors.
Felicity McCallum.
Fig. 1: Coquon (Awabakal language for the Hunter River)
Ash Island, Hunter Valley, NSW
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INTRODUCTION
___________________________________________________
Peaceful greetings!
This study guide on forgiveness aims to help individuals and small
groups think, feel and pray about forgiveness.
We hope it complements the poignant beauty of “i4giveday”
inspired by Danny, Leila, and the Abdallah family’s forgiving
response amidst grief and loss (https://www.i4give.com).
Personal stories of forgiveness have also been shared with us by
the leaders of National Forgiveness Week, Rob Warren, Dr Tim
O’Neill, and Sue Tinworth; drawing especially on their work in the
Pacific (www.partnersinprayer.org.au/national-forgiveness-week).
Personal stories of courage and faith always lift our hearts. The
Holy Spirit has brought us in touch with wonderful people who
have been working in the forgiving love of Jesus. They all support
the timeliness of these studies now. We recognise together that
stories such as these need mindful intention if the inspiration is to
become our way of life. In a world full of tears, these studies aim
to bring healing and new beginnings, in the grace of Jesus.
Four of us have worked on this study guide. We’ve been helped by
those already mentioned and by other good friends, such as Hugh
McGinlay and Roland Ashby. In doing this preparation, we have
shared deeply and have been changed by each other’s insights and
honesty. Our studies, which began as an intuitive response to the
Holy Spirit’s promptings, have become both more personal and
more global.
Two of us, John Hendry and myself, are over seventy and have no
time to waste. We only want to offer, from our varied experiences
in education and in the church, what we think will be most helpful
to people now. The other two of our team are younger but
similarly motivated. Felicity, a First Nation elder, brings this
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contribution as well as her deep faith and her PhD studies on the
multilayered nature of authentic reconciliation. Hugh Kempster, in
recent years both a wonderful Parish Priest and School Chaplain
shares from these experiences, as well as his recent work in
Positive Psychology, and his background in the reconciliation
processes of Aotearoa-New Zealand.
Our format for the studies is simple: silence for meditation and
prayer to begin; Biblical passages with more stories and spiritual
exercises; discussion questions; concluding prayers and additional
resources. We hope the studies are neither too simple nor too
complex. We hope everyone can find illumination, comfort and
encouragement for the journey we are all sharing.
Forgiveness: A Study Guide is suitable for Lent but for other times
too. We hope it is helpful for ecumenical and also interfaith
conversations. We imagine this guided study will help young
people as they shape the direction of their lives as well as older
people who want to let old hurts go and be more peaceful.
We were drawn to our theme by reflection on the prayer Jesus
gives us, the Lord’s Prayer; and especially “Forgive us our sins as
we forgive those who sin against us” (Luke 11:2-4). We were thus
drawn to the Cross and Jesus’ words, “Father forgive them for
they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Pondering
the Cross drew us further into Jesus’ teachings on forgiveness,
especially that our giving and forgiving should be consistent and
continuous: “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times”
as Jesus poetically says to Peter when asked how often we should
forgive (Matthew 18:21-22).
In essence, we are hoping we can all help our culture become
more loving, more understanding of each other, and more
forgiving. This would seem to be a movement of renewal, which
we are all invited to join. We have learned to look at the world
through the eyes of little children. We think all policy, and adult
activity, should be shaped by this perspective. Children flourish in
an atmosphere that is truly loving, understanding and forgiving.
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Children teach us that feeling safe is part of being safe. Children
teach us to feel afresh what it is to be loving, understanding, and
forgiving.
These studies on forgiveness invite us to feel what it is we seek.
We hope it helps us all make and sustain the choice to heal and
not to harm; to know better what we are doing and to find healing
around what we have done and what has been done to us. That is
our hope and prayer, in the giving and forgiving love of Jesus.
Poet and farmer, Wendell Berry, has simple and wise advice for a
good life and good community: “Slow down. Pay attention. Do
good work. Love your neighbours. Love your place. Stay in your
place. Settle for less, enjoy it more” (Berry, 2017). To slow down
and be attentive, we provide the opportunity at the start of each
session to open with silent meditation. You may wish to use the
Jesus Prayer, shortened to “Jesus, have mercy” (see Session Two
of these studies) or the ancient Christian prayer-word “Maranatha”
used by the World Community of Christian Meditation (see
www.wccm.org/meditate/how-to-meditate).
We are grateful to dear Rev’d Canon Glenn Loughrey for our
wonderful cover painting. Glenn is a Wiradjuri man from New
South Wales, and lives now on the traditional lands of the
Wurundjeri people in Melbourne. When Glenn was commissioned
to his current parish, the text he chose was the Lord’s Prayer, and
the theme was forgiveness.
May I personally also thank the Staff and Board of both the
National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) and the
Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture (ACC&C). The idea
of these studies evolved during my time as President of the NCCA
and as Director of the Centre for Ecumenical Studies at the
ACC&C.
In addition to the hard-copy book format, these studies are
available on-line through the ACC&C website: www.acc-c.org.au.
The E-book of Forgiveness: A Study Guide (in PDF format) is free of
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charge, and is designed as a supplement for those who may wish
to dig deeper, outside of the group sessions. Our electronic copy
of the study guide contains an additional section at the end of each
session entitled: “See, Hear, Feel.” It contains images, on-line
resources, and further meditations and journaling exercises that
may be useful for study group leaders, teachers, and individuals
wishing to reflect further on the themes we explore in each
session. Also published free of charge on the ACC&C website are
audio files of the authors reading sections of the text, for use in
study groups or by individuals.
While this Study Guide invites us into a deeply personal pilgrimage
as regards forgiveness, this is related to the pilgrimage of our
whole global family.
We pray that you will find it helpful.
Bishop Philip Huggins.
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SESSION ONE:
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES AND PRAY FOR
THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU
In this session we will reflect on Lex talionis, the law of retaliation
that is innate to the human condition, individually and culturally.
In contrast to this, the teachings of Jesus present us with an
alternative way forward, also innate: the way of love and
forgiveness, even for our enemies.
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OPENING MEDITATION AND PRAYER
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Fig 2: Bush Track - Victoria
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First, we enter into a time of silence.
Sit still with your back straight. Close your eyes lightly. Then
interiorly, silently, begin to recite a prayer word or short phrase.
This could be the Jesus Prayer “Jesus, have mercy”; or the ancient
Christian prayer word “Maranatha.”
Breathe normally and give your full attention to your prayer word.
Say it, silently, gently, faithfully and – above all – simply.
Silence
Now, when you are ready, open your eyes. Take a moment to look
at the photograph above.
Consider the way that the track pushes through the dense bush
towards a clearing.
Bring to mind a time you have been in such a place, physically or
metaphorically.
Sit for a moment with the discomfort of a dark, fearful, sad or
threatening place.
Now focus on the distant clearing.
Recall an experience of hope and resolution.
Settle into a sense of safety. Rest here for a few, quiet moments.
Connect with your breath, be generous with yourself and thankful
for the others with whom you gather today.
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We pray:
Lord of the journey,
may we be aware in these moments together,
of the great company,
past, present, and to come,
with whom we join to worship you.
And with your Spirit among us
may we look for a time
and work for the day
when there will be joy at sunrise
and peace at sunset,
and all will be free as Christ is free. Amen.
REFLECTING ON SCRIPTURE
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READING
38
Jesus said, ‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye
and a tooth for a tooth.”
39
But I say to you, Do not resist an
evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the
other also;
40
and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat,
give your cloak as well;
41
and if anyone forces you to go one mile,
go also the second mile.
42
Give to everyone who begs from you,
and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
43
‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour
and hate your enemy.”
44
But I say to you, Love your enemies and
pray for those who persecute you,
45
so that you may be children of
your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on
the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
46
For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?
Do not even the tax-collectors do the same?
47
And if you greet
only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than
others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48
Be perfect,
therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
MATTHEW 5:38-48
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• One member of the group reads the passage aloud slowly.
• Keep a few moments’ silence following the first reading.
• Another member of the group then reads the passage
through a second time.
• Invite everyone to say aloud a single word, or short phrase
from the passage that strikes them or they resonate with.
• A third person reads the passage a final time.
• Share with the group why you chose that word or phrase.
REFLECTION HUGH KEMPSTER
Jesus’ teaching is counter-intuitive on a basic human level. If
someone harms me, or those I love, it is a very natural human
response to seek retribution. “You don’t know what you have
unleashed” my gut may scream in response to injustice. Lex talionis
or the law of retaliation has long been the way of the world.
The ancient Hebrew people knew this, and so we read in the Book
of Exodus, for example, in the chapter following the Ten
Commandments: “If any harm follows, then you shall give life for
life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn
for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe” (Ex 21:23-4). One
of the oldest writings in the world is the Babylonian Code of
Hammurabi from around 1750 BC consisting of 282 laws. One of
these is very similar to Exodus: “If a man put out the eye of
another man, his eye shall be put out.” In New Zealand Maori
culture there is a similar law called utu which has to do with
restoring justice and balance, and “payback” has been a
component of Aboriginal law for millennia. Lex talionis is evident
in every culture, from the “War Against Terror” in response to the
bombing of the twin towers, to the gangland killings in Melbourne
between 1998 and 2010.
Jesus’ response in Matthew’s gospel, to this underbelly of the
human condition, is a teaching found in most of the world
religions. Buddhist scripture, for example, states something very
similar: “Hatreds never cease through hatred in this world;
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through love alone they cease. This is an eternal law”
(Dhammapada 3-5). The Islamic faith also holds this as true: “It may
be that God will ordain love between you and those whom you
hold as enemies. For God has power over all things; and God is
Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful” (Qur’an 60:7). Jewish rabbinic
literature also balances Exodus 21 with such teaching as: “Aid an
enemy before you aid a friend, to subdue hatred” (Tosefta, Baba
Metzia 2:26). Hindu sacred writings similarly exhort the devotee:
“[Do] not render evil for evil; this is a maxim one should observe
… a noble soul will ever exercise compassion even towards those
who enjoy injuring others or those of cruel deeds when they are
actually committing them – for who is without fault?” (Ramayana,
Yuddha Kanda 115).
While revenge is deeply ingrained into our primal human psyche,
so too are kindness, forgiveness, compassion and mercy. It is
important to distinguish forgiveness and mercy, however, from
denial, condoning or forgetting. “Forgive and forget” is not a
particularly helpful aphorism. Jesus doesn’t say, “love your
enemies and forget about what they have done to you.” He says,
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Empathy is a key factor in forgiving our enemies. Psychologist
Chris Peterson puts it like this: “People who experience
empathetic affect for their transgressors … tend to forgive …
more readily than do people who do not experience empathy or
engage in perspective taking” (Peterson and Seligman, p. 455).
Prayer is one of the most proven and effective ways of building
empathy and perspective. If you have hurt me and I genuinely pray
for you, pray for your wellbeing, pray that God will bless you, I am
less likely to ruminate on the wrong you have done to me, and less
likely to hold a grudge against you. I can forgive; even my enemies.
The Book of Joy records a delightful conversation between the Dalai
Lama and Bishop Desmond Tutu. Reflecting on the pain and
anger of being exiled from his homeland, the Dalai Lama notes:
“Many of us have become refugees … and there are lots of
difficulties in my own country. When I look only at that … then I
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worry … But when I look at the world, there are a lot of problems
… when we see these things, we realise that not only do we suffer,
but so do many of our human brothers and sisters. So when we
look at the same event from a wider perspective, we will reduce
the worrying and our own suffering” (pp. 36-7).
The Dalai Lama’s prayer for his enemies, and for the world, is far
from “don’t worry, be happy” which is more about a denial and
avoidance, that results in passive aggression rather than genuine
peace and forgiveness. True prayer for others, even our enemies,
releases empathy, which in turn releases us from the suffering of
the unending suffering of the revenge cycle that perpetuates the
hurt of wrongdoing rather than healing it. As Gandhi is purported
to have said: “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”
TELLING OUR STORIES
Tell your story, if you feel comfortable doing so, and listen actively to the stories
of others in the group. The following questions may be helpful as you explore
this session’s forgiveness theme:
• Recall a time when you held a grudge, sought revenge, or
when another person was vengeful towards you? What did
you or they do, and not do?
• What does it mean practically to “love your enemy”? Tell a
forgiveness story from your own experience.
• Do you think that some hurts are unforgiveable, or is it
possible to find hope and forgiveness in every situation?
• How does Jesus’ teaching apply in situations of war, extreme
violence, or political conflict?
• Can you recall a time when you prayed for your enemy?
Describe the experience.
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CLOSING PRAYER
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Say together this prayer in closing:
Our God, humble child, creative ever-encouraging Spirit,
we confess our need for forgiveness,
our need for the ability to let go of the hurts of the past,
the fears of the future.
We confess our need for community, our need for solitude,
our need for family, our need for individuality.
Ever-present Spirit, reminder of grace,
hear our prayer. Amen.
THE WEEK AHEAD: SEE, HEAR, FEEL
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These additional resources and activities may be helpful for digging deeper, as
you explore further the issues raised in this session and your response to Jesus’
teaching. All on-line links below were successfully accessed on 29
th
November
2021, but over time some may cease to connect if updated or removed by the
website owners.
SEE
Sarah Montana, “The Real Risk of Forgiveness – And Why It’s
Worth It” – TEDxLincolnSquare
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEK2pIiZ2I0
HEAR
Forgiveness: Christian Meditation Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coJJPFCuGeg
FEEL
Carrying the stone. Select a palm-sized stone. For the space of a
morning (approximately six hours) hold the stone continuously in
your non-dominant hand. Do not set the stone down for any
reason during this period. At the end of six hours, write about the
experience in a journal, or speak to someone you trust about it.
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Some journal questions to get you started:
• What did you notice about carrying the stone?
• When did you notice it the most?
• Was it ever useful?
• In what ways was carrying the stone like carrying an
unforgiven hurt?
• Name the person or people you need to forgive in your life.
• Name also those you would like to have forgive you.
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SESSION TWO:
FORGIVE US OUR SINS, AS WE FORGIVE
THOSE WHO SIN AGAINST US
In this session we will reflect on forgiveness teachings in
Colossians, that God is “pleased to reconcile to himself all things”;
and from Matthew’s gospel, that Jesus encourages us to forgive
“seventy-seven times.” We will reflect on the Jesus Prayer – the
Prayer of the Heart – as a technique for forgiving others; and the
Lord’s Prayer: “forgive our sins, as we forgive those who sin
against us.”
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OPENING MEDITATION AND PRAYER
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Fig 3: Planet Earth
First, we enter into a time of silence.
Sit still with your back straight. Close your eyes lightly. Then
interiorly, silently, begin to recite a prayer word or short phrase.
This could be the Jesus Prayer “Jesus, have mercy”; or the ancient
Christian prayer word “Maranatha.”
Breathe normally and give your full attention to your prayer word.
Say it, silently, gently, faithfully and – above all – simply.
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Silence
Now, when you are ready, open your eyes. Take a moment to look
at the photograph above.
We look at our beautiful common home, planet earth, as it spins in
the vastness of space.
Touch your forehead and feel your pulse. We are gifted with life
through creative forces that are way beyond our control.
Focus on your breathing.
Here we are, down on the ground, in the web of life. We are here
on our island, with the kangaroos and kookaburras, the waratahs
and the wallabies.
We feel the ground under our feet. We listen to the sounds of our
here and now.
This picture of our planet invites the renewal of our wonder.
How amazing it is to be here at all!
How beautiful that our Creator invites us each into communion;
into friendship.
Looking at our planet, we ask ourselves if we have made our God
too small?
What may we need to unlearn? Are we open to being expanded by
God?
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We pray:
Gracious God,
we give thanks anew for your gift of our life.
We give thanks for the wonder
of our life in this vast universe.
We pray for your Holy Spirit’s guidance
as we strive to live with gratitude,
wonder, and with divine illumination.
As we listen and discuss now the wisdom
at the heart of our faith,
guide us, we pray,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
REFLECTING ON SCRIPTURE
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READINGS
15
Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all
creation;
16
for in him all things in heaven and on earth were
created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and
for him.
17
He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold
together.
18
He is the head of the body, the church; he is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to
have first place in everything.
19
For in him all the fullness of God
was pleased to dwell,
20
and through him God was pleased to
reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by
making peace through the blood of his cross.
COLOSSIANS 1:15-20
21
Then Peter came and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if another member of
the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many
as seven times?’
22
Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell
you, seventy-seven times.
MATTHEW 18:21-35
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• One member of the group reads the passages aloud slowly.
• Keep a few moments’ silence following the first reading.
• Another member of the group then reads the passage
through a second time.
• Invite everyone to say aloud a single word, or short phrase
from the passage that strikes them or they resonate with.
• A third person reads the passage a final time.
• Share with the group why you chose that word or phrase.
REFLECTION +PHILIP HUGGINS
Stories tell us about people’s experience of the humble, giving and
forgiving love of God. That is, people’s experience of the One
who was, who is, and who is to come; the Alpha and Omega; the
beginning and the end. The One who creates from nothing a
universe of beauty and splendour, and who comes amongst us as a
vulnerable baby in a manger, born of Mary. The One who endures
the Cross and then emerges from the grave in radiant beauty to
bestow upon us grace and peace in resurrection energy. The One
in whom, as St Paul puts it, “all things hold together.”
In Colossians we find deep wisdom: “Jesus is the image of the
invisible God, the first born of all creation … in him all things
hold together.” We appreciate further, that the One in whom “the
fullness of God was pleased to dwell” is the One through whom
“God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on
earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his
cross.”
A dear soul once told me her story of being in a very lost and
distressed place. In desperation she began to pray over and over
the Lord’s Prayer, recalled from childhood. She recounted the
moment when “a light seemed to go on in my mind and the words
‘forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us’ came
into very sharp focus. I immediately understood my own need for
forgiveness as well as my need to forgive others.”
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The woman found it in herself to forgive the person who had
badly abused her. “I had never even thought about forgiving,” she
told me. In fact some treating practitioners had told her it was
alright to keep hating. But she realised that this was just poisoning
her. Nelson Mandela once reflected, “hating someone is like
drinking poison and then expecting the other person to die!”
As her heart softened, so began a journey of discipleship and
healing. “I forgave many people who had wronged me over the
years, secure in the knowledge that it was not up to me to judge
them – just to forgive.” This woman’s testimony is that the grace
and peace of the Risen Lord Jesus has helped her to live with this
freedom in a sustained manner. The Word and Spirit of Colossians
chapter one, had become her truth, her faith, and her life.
Thereafter, she has offered a beautiful and reconciling ministry,
walking alongside our First Nation people.
In Matthew’s gospel Peter asks, “how often should I forgive? As
many as seven times?” Jesus says to him, “not seven times, but, I
tell, you seventy-seven times.” Jesus then gives the parable of the
Unforgiving Servant, which ends with his insistence: “forgive your
brother or sister from your heart.” These teachings are not easy or
comfortable to follow.
The Jesus Prayer can assist us in this onerous task of forgiveness
from the heart. It is an ancient technique of Christian meditation.
We simply focus on saying the sacred name of Jesus. Settle where
you are comfortable. Sitting is best. Lying down induces sleep!
Settle. Close your eyes. A few deep breaths to help your mind and
body settle together. Deep breaths but not to the point of strain.
When settled, simply repeat over, to yourself, the short prayer
phrase: “Jesus, have mercy.”
“Mercy” means compassion. This prayer takes us into the
compassionate and forgiving heart of God. The only instruction is
to repeat the prayer under your breath, rather effortlessly. When
you lose the prayer, find you are thinking of other things, gently
return to praying over, “Jesus, have mercy.” Meditate in this way
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for a focused prayer time of 10-15 minutes. You can also pray
“Jesus, have mercy” anywhere, including whilst we are walking,
even swimming! It is simple, yet profound, like Holy Communion.
Over time, as a matter of grace, we may find the prayer is praying
in us, helping us to forgive, and has rather descended from the top
of our head into our heart. Hence, sometimes the Jesus Prayer is
called the Prayer of the Heart.
Meditation helps our self-awareness. Including our awareness of
what we think about and what we let influence our thinking. This
is important because our thoughts shape our words and actions.
The pattern, over time, shapes our character and destiny. To be a
more forgiving person, we need to be aware of what we are
thinking, so we choose the thoughts that lead to more life-giving
words and actions.
It is hard to overstate how important that is.
TELLING OUR STORIES
Tell your story, if you feel comfortable doing so, and listen actively to the stories
of others in the group. The following questions may be helpful as you explore
this session’s forgiveness theme:
• What is your story of the forgiveness journey? Recall a
moment in your life when the Word and Spirit of Jesus
intersected. Reflect on the continuing journey to be free of
“self-poisoning” as in the Nelson Mandela quote?
• Share with the group a spiritual work of forgiveness that you
are struggling with or have accomplished in the past.
• Have you experienced meditation as a means of moving
beyond self-poisoning and into forgiveness?
• How could you use the Jesus Prayer, the Prayer of the Heart,
to forgive “seventy-seven times”?
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CLOSING PRAYER
___________________________________________________
In closing this session, we say (or sing) the Lord’s Prayer in our own first
language.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours
now and forever. Amen.
THE WEEK AHEAD: SEE, HEAR, FEEL
___________________________________________________
These additional resources and activities may be helpful for digging deeper, as
you explore further the issues raised in this session and your response to Jesus’
teaching. All on-line links below were successfully accessed on 29
th
November
2021, but over time some may cease to connect if updated or removed by the
website owners.
SEE
CNBC Africa: A Tribute to Nelson Mandela:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtF61x68Yzk
HEAR
The Aboriginal Our Father: https://youtu.be/2GZdPEsAZCo
The Lord’s Prayer sung in Maori:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIyK7c_Az8g
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Karen Lord’s Prayer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScVdPmtTwPM
Our Father, sung by a Dinka choir:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNpKdSAxOjg
FEEL
A “Forgiveness journaling exercise.” Draw a line on a piece of
paper, then write along the line, from childhood to now; the
people who come to mind. They can be people mostly of grace
and peace for you. There may be others.
It’s good to remember them all. You may need to join a few pieces
of paper! There might be faces from our childhood; folk of our
extended family; teachers and parents of friends; people we fell in
love with, even for a while; those of more serendipitous
acquaintanceship!
Perhaps there are moments and matters we recall which invite our
giving and our forgiving. We are inviting ourselves to heal over
what is now past and live forward with a clearer spirit, peacefully.
We may look back and now have a better understanding of those
who have hurt us; times past.
Our empathy may take us deeper into Jesus’ words from the
Cross: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do!”
At the same time, we may be reminded of moments that haunt us
from our own behaviour. We may pray that those affected will be
understanding of us, even now. We may pray to be healed of sad
memories, in the giving and forgiving love of Jesus. We may pray
to be forgiving of ourselves and given grace to carry forward our
learnings, in faithful discipleship of the One who is our ever-
forgiving Saviour.
These are deep matters and it is wise to take our time with this
spiritual exercise.
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SESSION THREE:
LET THERE BE LIGHT
In this session we will ask ourselves: Why forgive? We will draw
our answers from sacred tradition as well as our observations of
nature. We will consider the meta-narratives, the big-stories, of our
First Australians’ society, and probe Western neurological and
social science about why it is so urgent to re-connect with our
experiences of hurt, and forgive.
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OPENING MEDITATION AND PRAYER
___________________________________________________
Fig 4: Waterfall - Awabakal country, Watagan mountains, NSW
First, we enter into a time of silence.
Sit still with your back straight. Close your eyes lightly. Then
interiorly, silently, begin to recite a prayer word or short phrase.
This could be the Jesus Prayer “Jesus, have mercy”; or the ancient
Christian prayer word “Maranatha.”
Breathe normally and give your full attention to your prayer word.
Say it, silently, gently, faithfully and – above all – simply.
Silence
Now, when you are ready, open your eyes. Take a moment to look
at the photograph above.
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Look at the way the waterfall sprays and pours itself into the
awaiting river.
Nature teaches us about life. Nature invites us to trust and be
received into the pool of community.
Nature encourages us to dive into the uncertainty of detachment,
release, and forgiveness.
Let your memory return to times you have been in such special
places, surrounded by nature.
Settle into a sense of safety.
Probe your recollections for moments of grace enjoyed in Nature.
Rest here for a few, quiet moments …
Connect with your breath, be generous with yourself and thankful
for the others with whom you gather.
We pray:
Lord, we meet today
open to your calling into renewal, relief and release;
open to the wisdom and action
of forgiveness in your world.
Sharpen our perceptions of heart, mind and sight.
Strengthen us to listen to our inner selves and to each other,
so that we hear you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly.
We celebrate your gifts, your planet,
and our capacity for
contrition and peace-making. Amen.
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REFLECTING ON SCRIPTURE
___________________________________________________
READINGS
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2
Now the
earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of
the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
GENESIS 1:1-3
There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp
or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And
they will reign for ever and ever.
REVELATION 22:5
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you:
God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
1 JOHN 1:5
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
JOHN 9:5
• One member of the group reads the passages aloud slowly.
• Keep a few moments’ silence following the first reading.
• Another member of the group then reads the passage
through a second time.
• Invite everyone to say aloud a single word, or short phrase
from the passage that strikes them or they resonate with.
• A third person reads the passage a final time.
• Share with the group why you chose that word or phrase.
REFLECTION FELICITY MCCALLUM
Who do we shine a light on in our society? Who do we praise and
see as worth imitating? What parts of ourselves do we illuminate?
How do we become more whole and celebrate our wholeness as
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fully alive human beings? Those who embody life-affirming
courage inspire us. Those who navigate the places of pain and
darkness in our world give us light. Those who have learnt how to
bring healing lead us on the way. The impulse to shine a light on
places of brokenness and shame is a healing impulse. These are all
steps we can take towards wholeness and wellbeing.
Connection with our own and others’ woundedness is a window
where the wisdom of God shines through. Real heroes, the ones
who make our world better, are those who seek reconciliation,
healing and forgiveness. Jesus tells us that, “the cornerstone
rejected becomes the most important of all” and so to bring in the
excluded members of our community, and those excluded parts of
ourselves, we “turn the other cheek.” We soften and open our
hearts. This is the way forward for a future full of hope.
This is positive modelling and we hear about it in the following
story from Bishop Philip Huggins:
A friend of mine is a South African leader who walked with
Nelson Mandela from the prison gate on Robben Island
towards the car which was to take Mandela to freedom, after
27 years in jail. So, just remember, this was going to be
freedom after decades of suffering, overwhelming
deprivation of time away from beloved family and torturous
incarceration. My friend remembered Nelson Mandela’s
words as they approached the car: ‘By the time I reach the
car, I must leave all this behind through forgiveness and be
free for the future.’ (Huggins, 2021)
Neuro-science is the study of the human brain and how it impacts
on our behaviour and choices. The research demonstrates that we
are “born to be good” (Pfaff, 2016) correcting previous theories
that we are by nature reckless and greed-frenzied. The
“interdividual” or interconnected nature of human beings is now
well established in the fields of neuropsychiatry and
neuropsychology (Oughourlian, 2016). Like it or not, we are wired
together, the people in the world are a part of us. We are one.
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Social sciences show us that if we want a peaceful society, if we
want peace for ourselves, we must want peace for others. What we
do to others we do to ourselves; reconciliation is our only way
through.
Reconciliation requires us first to recognise that we are relational
(Girard, 1974). By imagining ourselves as being predisposed to
relating, we first acknowledge the existence of the other. Then we
look for the parts of ourselves, or the other, that we are in rivalry
with, to actively work towards lighting this up, healing, re-
connecting all parts. This re-membering includes actual memory as
much as the perspectives of those in our group or society who are
different or harbour entrenched, difficult-to-bear experiences. “Let
there be light” is then possible; a more whole society is lit up and
received.
Mandela intuited that a lack of forgiveness would poison him and
constrain his ability to lead South Africa to a better future. What is
it about Mandela’s way of being that is worth imitating? “If he did
not leave his hurts, bitterness and offences behind the prison wall,
Mandela would continue to live in the prison of his mind”
(Huggins, 2021).
Indigenous “yarning” is reconciliatory
because it does not leave any fragments or
people out of the whole. First Australians
guide us to a society where, “real
understanding comes in the spaces in
between, in the relational forces that connect
and move the points (the people, the
environment, buildings, agencies and
organisations)” (Yunkaporta, 2020).
Indigenous Australians de-emphasise the
points or nodes of interest like structures and
stars in the sky and focus on the pattern outside linear time.
Traditional Indigenous language does not base itself on a logic of
‘I’ or ‘you’ but ‘We-two’. Positive modelling like this gives us a
Fig. 5: Sand Talk
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holistic, intrinsically connected view, and values our relationships
above all things. This takes wisdom, courage and reflection.
TELLING OUR STORIES
Tell your story, if you feel comfortable doing so, and listen actively to the stories
of others in the group. The following questions may be helpful as you explore
this session’s forgiveness theme:
• What does it mean for you practically – on a personal,
vocational, national or global level – to “let there be light”?
• Recall a relationship in your life where you know that there is
a need for healing and forgiveness. What have you or they
done or not done to try to alleviate or heal this matter?
• What is it about Mandela’s way of being that is worth
imitating?
• Tell others of your experience of moving beyond ‘I’ or ‘you’
to ‘We-two.’
CLOSING PRAYER
___________________________________________________
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear
is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our
darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to
be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you
not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not
serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so
that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant
to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory
of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it’s in
everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated
from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love (1992)
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We pray:
Lord, bring your light and restoring presence
to the dark places in our lives.
Bring your hope to hearts that feel defeated.
Bring your love and compassion to those in pain. Amen.
THE WEEK AHEAD: SEE, HEAR, FEEL
___________________________________________________
These additional resources and activities may be helpful for digging deeper, as
you explore further the issues raised in this session and your response to Jesus’
teaching. All on-line links below were successfully accessed on 29
th
November
2021, but over time some may cease to connect if updated or removed by the
website owners.
SEE
Caravaggio, “The Calling of Matthew” (c.1600)
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Light has long been a means to determine a way forward on the
pathway of life and of society. Caravaggio here uses light to hinge
us into the healing pathway forward; God’s loving guidance and
will. When pondering a sense of God’s will in our lives or our
relationships, a sense of lightness or consolation, rather than
desolation, has been shown by Ignatius Loyola as a method of
discernment. Where in your life do you sense lightness and
consolation, and how might you make more of them?
HEAR
Emmaus Productions, “The Prodigal Child”:
https://www.emmausproductions.com/vimeo-video/prodigal-
child-episode-8-poetic-reflections/
FEEL
Gaze at the stars one evening. Or during the day, go outside and
touch a leaf or a blade of grass. Indigenous Australian wisdom tells
us that when we touch a leaf, the stars feel it (Uncle Chris Tomlin,
2020). Marvel about the connection of all of creation. Feel the
emotions that such interface of ourselves and Nature stirs for you
and let this tell you about how much your life and choices matter
for this earth.
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SESSION FOUR:
LIVING IN RELATIONSHIP
In this session we will reflect on the elements of a quality
relationship: trust, forgiveness, integrity, hope, and compassion.
We will examine the central place that our relationships take in our
lives and the way they inform our communities. Jesus’ teachings,
particularly those in the parable of the Prodigal Son, offer us a way
of love and forgiveness. In the life of Jesus, forgiveness was the
enabling force to establish loving, enduring and quality
relationships. He taught this and demonstrated this finally from
the Cross. He understood that we all do wrong and need
forgiveness.
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OPENING MEDITATION AND PRAYER
___________________________________________________
Fig. 6: Rock faces - Central Australia
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First, we enter into a time of silence.
Sit still with your back straight. Close your eyes lightly. Then
interiorly, silently, begin to recite a prayer word or short phrase.
This could be the Jesus Prayer “Jesus, have mercy”; or the ancient
Christian prayer word “Maranatha.”
Breathe normally and give your full attention to your prayer word.
Say it, silently, gently, faithfully and – above all – simply.
Silence
Now, when you are ready, open your eyes. Take a moment to look
at the photograph above.
Look at the grandeur of the rock faces in the image.
Notice the grain and contours, the colour and the dimensions. Sit
for a moment with the sense of the height and the divide.
Focus on the distant clearing. See the security of the man as he
stands in the middle, touching both frontiers. Consider how he is
relating to all things present.
Allow yourself to switch from your usual mode of doing, to non-
doing, to simply being.
Connect with your body and bring your attention to your
breathing.
Follow your breath as it comes in, and then out of your body,
without trying to change it.
Simply be aware of it, and any feelings associated with it. Give full
attention to each in-breath and then to each out-breath.
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Offer loving kindness to yourself, by letting these words become
your words:
May I be safe
May I be happy
May I be healthy
May I live in peace, no matter what I am given
May my heart be filled with love and kindness
Notice the feelings and sensations that arise and let them be.
Take a few moments to be generous with your kindness of
thought.
We pray:
Companion God,
we join with you and with each other
in these moments together;
we realise that your Holy Spirit joins us all as one,
with nature and one another,
within quality relationships.
May the work of our reflection deepen in our hearts,
deepen our conviction that it is through
our relationships that we are healed.
May we love others as you love us.
May we see your face in each other.
May we offer unconditional forgiveness
through Jesus Christ. Amen.
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REFLECTING ON SCRIPTURE
___________________________________________________
READING
11
Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons.
12
The younger
of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the
property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property
between them.
13
A few days later the younger son gathered all he
had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his
property in dissolute living.
14
When he had spent everything, a
severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to
be in need.
15
So he went and hired himself out to one of the
citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs.
16
He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs
were eating; and no one gave him anything.
17
But when he came to
himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread
enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger!
18
I will get up
and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned
against heaven and before you;
19
I am no longer worthy to be
called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’
20
So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off,
his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put
his arms around him and kissed him.
21
Then the son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no
longer worthy to be called your son.’
22
But the father said to his
slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on
him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
23
And get the
fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;
24
for this son of
mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And
they began to celebrate.
25
Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and
approached the house, he heard music and dancing.
26
He called
one of the slaves and asked what was going on.
27
He replied, ‘Your
brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf,
because he has got him back safe and sound.’
28
Then he became
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angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead
with him.
29
But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I
have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed
your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so
that I might celebrate with my friends.
30
But when this son of
yours came back, who has devoured your property with
prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’
31
Then the father
said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is
yours.
32
But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother
of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been
found.’”
LUKE 15:11-32
• One member of the group reads the passage aloud slowly.
• Keep a few moments’ silence following the first reading.
• Another member of the group then reads the passage
through a second time.
• Invite everyone to say aloud a single word, or short phrase
from the passage that strikes them or they resonate with.
• A third person reads the passage a final time.
• Share with the group why you chose that word or phrase.
REFLECTION JOHN HENDRY
We all live in relationships. When we live and work together
differences are inevitable and errors are made. Relationships are
tested. The intimacy of family, school, church, community are
places where care and forgiveness may be found. If we are to live
in quality relationships where we are safe and where we can grow
individually and together, we must be caring and forgiving. This is
where forgiveness finds a way forward; Jesus proclaims this from
the Cross.
A strong and healthy community is based upon trust. The maxim
of health professionals is important in all good relationships:
“First, do no harm.” When harmful behaviour or conflicts occur
we need to repair the damage caused to all relationships impacted,
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44!
and together we must find mutually acceptable ways forward. This
practical approach can transform the way community members
think, feel and act towards each other. We must do things with
people, not to them. This brings to mind the golden rule: “Do unto
others as you would have them do unto you.”
Forgiveness underpins this relationship-approach to dealing with
mistakes. We make many mistakes, for to err is to be human.
Often there is no intention to harm, and when harm is intended,
those involved may have little real understanding of the effects of
their harmful actions. All our actions impact on others, and of
course ourselves.
The quality of a relationship has many different elements, but
fundamentally there are five: trust, forgiveness, integrity, hope, and
compassion. Relationships are beautiful, however, all require
nurturing attention - always - for we all make mistakes. Our hope,
like Jesus’ teaching in the Prodigal Son parable, is that we all learn
from our errors. In quality relationships we recognise,
acknowledge and understand the impact of wrong-doing, done to
us or by us.
Forgiveness begins with acceptance of self or the other for making
the error and dislocating relationships, and causing hurt and a
sense of loss. All who have felt that the relationship has been
harmed also must accept and acknowledge the error, understand
the context, forgive the mistake-maker and then work with the
mistake-maker to repair the relationship damaged. The co-creation
of this repair process is essential, and although the heavy lifting is
substantially done by the error-maker, the damaged party shares a
responsibility to repair the relationship so far as that is
possible. The ultimate object is to repair and to restore peace.
The heavy lifting aspect of the relationship-repairing process is the
consequence of making the error. Mercy and grace are central to
mending relationships. This is captured beautifully in the model
(see fig. 7 below) developed by Desmond Tutu and his daughter
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Mpho, reflecting on the “four-fold path,” a way of breaking the
revenge cycle and walking the way of reparation.
Fig. 7: The Fourfold Path
We decide to heal or harm at the moment we address the error;
and it is at this moment that we are, as Christians, invited to heal
through forgiveness. This is timelessly depicted in the parable of
the Prodigal son. The quality of a relationship, a family, a
workplace, a group, a community, or a nation, should not be
judged on its successes but rather on the humane and constructive
approach it employs in the management of mistakes.
TELLING OUR STORIES
Tell your story, if you feel comfortable doing so, and listen actively to the stories
of others in the group. The following questions may be helpful as you explore
this session’s forgiveness theme:
• Recall a time when you hurt another person either
intentionally or accidently.
• Reflect on a time when someone forgave you. How did you
know you were forgiven? How did the other person
communicate this to you?
• Tell others about an organisation or group that you know,
which manages mistakes well.
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• How have the experiences of forgiveness taught you or
changed you? What insights about these experiences do you
have now?
CLOSING PRAYER
___________________________________________________
Say together this prayer in closing:
Our God, we know how important relationships are to you.
One of the greatest commandments is to love one another;
this is good and pleasing to you.
We pray for healing in our relationships:
where trust is broken, may trust be restored.
where there is unforgiveness, may forgiveness emerge,
and may the love of Jesus flow through all we do. Amen.
THE WEEK AHEAD: SEE, HEAR, FEEL
___________________________________________________
These additional resources and activities may be helpful for digging deeper, as
you explore further the issues raised in this session and your response to Jesus’
teaching. All on-line links below were successfully accessed on 29
th
November
2021, but over time some may cease to connect if updated or removed by the
website owners.
SEE
!
“Forgiveness:!A!Study!Guide!”!E-book!
47!
HEAR
Robert Waldinger’s TED Talk, “What makes a good life? Lessons
from the longest study on happiness.” A talk from the current
Director of “The Grant Study,” a remarkable 75-year longitudinal
study that has followed 268 Harvard-educated men, the majority
of whom were members of the undergraduate classes of 1942,
1943 and 1944.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KkKuTCFvzI
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks’ pre-Selichot address, “We Live in an
Unforgiving Age.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MaU0kfkK-k
ABC’s God Forbid, with James Carleton: “the Gift of a Second
Chance.”
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/godforbid/the-
gift-of-a-second-chance/12097950
FEEL
Imagine. Identify a person whom you blame for mistreating or
offending you in some way. Then imagine that you are sitting
down with this person or talking to him/her. Imagine yourself
forgiving the person. Try to imagine feeling empathy for this
person, seeing him/her as a whole person rather than as someone
who is solely defined by their offensive behaviour. While
imagining this, see if you can consider your thoughts, behaviour
and feelings in detail. What do you say? How do you feel? What
does your facial expression look like? What physical sensations do
you notice?
Write. You may wish to write, but not send, a letter of forgiveness
to someone who has hurt or wronged you in some way. If this
past wrong-doing and the lack of forgiveness you feel leads to you
experiencing intrusive thoughts, ruminating about the event
and/or keeps you from feeling content, you may benefit from
writing a forgiveness letter. You can write a letter to anyone whom
you have not forgiven, even if they are no longer in your life or
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even alive. Explain in the letter what the person did that hurt you
and what you wish they had done instead. Finish the letter with an
explicit statement of forgiveness, such as: “I realise that you were
doing the best you could at the time and I forgive you.”
Journal. Some things to reflect on:
• What personal rituals have you established to forgive
yourself and to forgive another?
• How would you like to be treated when you make a
significant mistake?
• When another has forgiven you, what was your response?
How did it feel? Why do you think they forgave you? What
was difficult about accepting forgiveness?
• Come up with your 5 essential steps to forgiveness.
• On what basis do we form relationships and what does a
sense of inner-security and self-trust dictate about our
availability to forming relationship?
• How have you managed to overcome resentment?
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SESSION FIVE:
LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU
In this session we will dig deeper into the physiological, ecological
and social wisdom of forgiveness. We will explore the question:
how does forgiving and being forgiven inform personal
authenticity, healthy community, and protection of the planet?
Both Jesus and Paul point to our interconnectedness. The meta-
narratives, or big stories, of the First Australians similarly
encourage us to reconcile and love one another. As we love and
forgive others, Jesus teaches that we are to also love and forgive
ourselves.
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OPENING MEDITATION AND PRAYER
___________________________________________________
Fig. 8: Bee & Kangaroo Paw - Awabakal country, NSW
First, we enter into a time of silence.
Sit still with your back straight. Close your eyes lightly. Then
interiorly, silently, begin to recite a prayer word or short phrase.
This could be the Jesus Prayer “Jesus, have mercy”; or the ancient
Christian prayer word “Maranatha.”
Breathe normally and give your full attention to your prayer word.
Say it, silently, gently, faithfully and – above all – simply.
Silence
Now, when you are ready, open your eyes. Take a moment to look
at the photograph above.
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Look at the way the bee hovers and awaits the nectar of the plant
to be poured out.
Both the insect and the plant, distinct forms of life, cooperate and
communicate their dynamic interplay fuelled by exuberance.
Waves of new life spread and sprout because of their mutuality.
Recall times you have beheld such moments in nature.
Settle into a sense of safety.
Rest here for a few, quiet moments …
Connect with your breath, be generous with yourself, and thankful
for the others with whom you gather.
We pray:
Lord, we join today to pull back the shades
that hold us away from seeing we are all one.
May we open our inner selves to you.
Draw us more deeply into the silence
that dissolves our self-consciousness.
May we transcend our divisions,
and understand what it is to be one.
May we be peace-makers.
Amen.
REFLECTING ON SCRIPTURE
___________________________________________________
READINGS
7
Ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and
they will tell you;
8
ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach
you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
9
Who among all
these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?
10
In
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his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every
human being.
Job 12: 7-10
12
Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the
members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with
Christ.
13
For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one
body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to
drink of one Spirit.
27
Now you are the body of Christ and
individually members of it.
1 Corinthians 12: 12-13, 27
30
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with
all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength …
31
You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other
commandment greater than these.
Mark 12: 30-31
34
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just
as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
35
By this
everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for
one another.’
John 13: 34-5
• One member of the group reads the passages aloud slowly.
• Keep a few moments’ silence following the first reading.
• Another member of the group then reads the passage
through a second time.
• Invite everyone to say aloud a single word, or short phra
se
from the passage that strikes them or they resonate with.
• A third person reads the passage a final time.
• Share with the group why you chose that word or phrase.
REFLECTION FELICITY MCCALLUM
Living authentically brings with it a natural interaction of parts
within ourselves, some of which we might like to leave out of our
awareness. This inner-authenticity requires steps in self-
forgiveness. These positive inner-life steps echo within our bodies,
and emanate beyond, into our communities as well as the natural
world.
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53!
Our bodies and neurological systems will not function healthily if
we favour inner-division. Maturity means gently and graciously
enquiring after, and welcoming the unfamiliar, sometimes
awkward parts of ourselves, into our self-understanding.
Authenticity involves self-forgiveness. This usually brings with it
grief, some allowances, and inner-generosity as we tussle and make
way to accommodate a new largesse. We literally then embody a
bigger heart.
What is inside us, our inner conflicts and layers of inner peace,
project onto the outside of our lives. This does not mean we are
better off aiming for a manageable, safe or stagnant inner life, so
that we can rule over our public or outer life. Fun, intimacy and
fulfilment come from movement and dynamic shifts in our lives.
The mysterious merging of our inner and outer lives lets us know
who we are. We are one, even though we have much variety.
Nature is like this, as is human society. Depth and integrity emerge
when we lovingly, and non-rivalrously give attention to the
movement of the Holy Spirit within us and within others; whether
human, tree, flower or fish. We must love one another.
Celebration naturally breaks out when we see more of our selves
revealed in our relationships with others.
As we align more truthfully with our inner-authenticity, accepting
that we are becoming- rather than static-beings, so our
relationships recalibrate and change positively. We are better able
to love ourselves as we discover new parts of ourselves, and to
love others as we discover their newness. It is like this in our
cultures, our systems of interacting together. Like bees interacting
with flowers, we are drawn into interactions with others who are
different. New life sprouts from unexpected connections, as does
exuberance and possibilities. What happens if we listen to and
interact with our intuition, embracing the sacrament of the now
rather than fearful divisions or false security? Reconciliation is true
security.
Forgiving ourselves creates many possibilities. Life opens up. We
see more clearly. Bridge building becomes possible where
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relationships have been rough. We are able to diverge from
unhealthy paths, and embrace memories that disrupt us. This work
requires courage. We find resonance in the big stories, the meta-
narratives of a good culture.
For my people, the Awabakal people, a big story is “The Mystic
Ring.” This is the circle in our traditional dance and corroboree –
of foot-stamping and song – a crescendo on the earth, near the
lake, in the dark, when the moon is full, the light beaming. “The
Mystic Ring” is about relationships. It speaks of light and shade, of
risk and comfort, of the deep human need to belong, not just to
each other, but to the land, sea and sky.
For Christians, one of our biggest stories is the Paschal Mystery.
The life, death and resurrection of Jesus speaks to us about our
own and others’ life, death and resurrection. No matter how bad
things get, new life is always a possibility, an amazing grace. Light
is always stronger than darkness.
Our big stories are like strap-hangers. When standing on a bus
they help us to move around and orientate without falling, even
when the road is filled with potholes. They help us associate with
others and build knowing. Big stories mean most when they come
to us through relationships. Awabakal elder Shane Frost teaches
that when the basket grass is in full bloom on country, the fish will
be plentiful. Micro-awareness like this is not just about spiritual
fulfilment; it has clear implications for economic survival, for land
and ocean governance.
Like the concentric circles of ripples in a pond, new knowledge
emanates as the stone of awareness plumbs submerged parts of
ourselves. With increased self-understanding we get better at
looking after our country and our world. The same dynamics apply
at community and national levels as they do within ourselves. We
are less likely to act up: “look at me!” Instead, we search for life-
giving interactions and relationships: “how can we co-create
opportunities for healing, creativity, and justice-based reality
together?”
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By championing authenticity, self-forgiveness, and oneness, we are
endowing Australian cultures with leadership for our times. There
are implications here for the healing of our planet too. When we
awaken to the mutual interactions of the environment – Kangaroo
Paw, bee and nectar – then we may become a blessing to nature, as
we are blessed by it. By paying attention, by loving ourselves, our
place, all of the species, and the people in it, then we become the
global peace we seek.
This future-proofs us all. For justice is never for just us. Justice and
mercy are like the loaves and fish; they multiply and turn what had
seemed to be a limited, pessimistic reality, into an elastic and
providential one. The light gets in.
TELLING OUR STORIES
Tell your story, if you feel comfortable doing so, and listen actively to the stories
of others in the group. The following questions may be helpful as you explore
this session’s forgiveness theme:
• Tell the other group members a story of your relationship
with nature. Do you have a sense of belonging to the land,
the sea, the sky?
• Recall a time when you knew you needed to forgive yourself
or another. How was a lack of forgiveness impeding your
relationships, your creativity, or your work life?
• Who or what helped you get past the barriers to self-
forgiveness or forgiving someone else?
• Describe the flow of forgiveness beyond yourself:
personally, work-wise, spiritually or globally?
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CLOSING PRAYER
___________________________________________________
Pray together “The Magnificat” in closing (Luke 1:46-55):
Mary said:
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
Amen.
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THE WEEK AHEAD: SEE, HEAR, FEEL
___________________________________________________
These additional resources and activities may be helpful for digging deeper, as
you explore further the issues raised in this session and your response to Jesus’
teaching. All on-line links below were successfully accessed on 29
th
November
2021, but over time some may cease to connect if updated or removed by the
website owners.
SEE
Emmaus Productions, “On the wings of One-der”:
https://www.emmausproductions.com/vimeo-video/on-the-
wings-of-onder-episode-5-thought-for-the-day/
Healing is possible through dialogue and symbolic peace-making
gestures, which lead ultimately to the justice of blessing. Vern
Neufeld Redekop reflects on the components of reconciliation in
this diagram.
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For First Nations people “yarning” is a system of conciliation and
reconciliation that imbues a spirit of forgiveness.
HEAR
The Blessing Australia:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrs25S_RR7-
wTQmiCzA6vWA
The Magnificat from Taizé:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-6k6qTOMvE
I Am : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkBW2gZ0bDQ
Amazing Grace, Gurrumul and Paul Kelly -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVORrx9jIiE
St Teresas’s Prayer -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqVbLQh-lT0
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59!
My dear friends, Brandon
Bays and Kevin Billet through The
Journey, have been lighting up the world for 20 years imparting
practical tools and processes on forgiveness to liberate self, people
in our lives, business, economies and ecology. A self-forgiveness
meditation is found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=TY90loPPLrg
FEEL
Take some time to walk outside, and sit for a while. Take time to
practice wi-yel-lai ko-a (pronounced as it looks) the Awabakal word
for reciprocal speaking and listening.
Draw or write about the parts of the world, or places in your life
where you experience the most relational, generative and creative
vitality. List and describe the fruits and enduring gifts these bring
you.
In the Eucharistic prayer we hear that God’s gifts are fruitful and
enduring. Note the parts of the world where you see relations that
are not fruitful and enduring, and build a range of alternative
choices that could be taken to reach out, balance, heal and fortify
those relationships.
For every possible pathway of healing that you have outlined, be
sure to mark down what is the life-affirming growth that such
steps would bring.
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SESSION SIX:
FATHER, FORGIVE THEM
In this session we will reflect on Jesus’ words from the cross, in
Luke’s gospel: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what
they are doing.” From the medieval Mystic Julian of Norwich, to
the Solomon Islands Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Jesus’
Passion has inspired and enabled forgiveness, against the odds.
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OPENING MEDITATION AND PRAYER
___________________________________________________
Fig. 9: Memory Mountain, Eastern Arrernte Country, Central Australia
First, we enter into a time of silence.
Sit still with your back straight. Close your eyes lightly. Then
interiorly, silently, begin to recite a prayer word or short phrase.
This could be the Jesus Prayer “Jesus, have mercy”; or the ancient
Christian prayer word “Maranatha.”
Breathe normally and give your full attention to your prayer word.
Say it, silently, gently, faithfully and – above all – simply.
Silence
Now, when you are ready, open your eyes. Take a moment to look
at the photograph above.
We give thanks to the almighty eternal Creator, who places us for
a moment of time on this great land, and tasks us with the
awesome responsibility of stewardship and healing.
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The ancient rocks were formed in the bowels of the earth at the
beginning of time, and still move beneath us.
The living soil clothes the depths, offering so graciously the
miracle of nourishment in due season.
The heavens above, living and fragile, sustain all life, within their
intricate balance.
The people of the land learn and teach stewardship of these sacred
places.
We meet and walk on the lands of First Nation people, alongside
newer arrivals from across the globe, saddened by the violence and
injustice unresolved here; searching for peace.
The cross stands silently in the midst of all life; the still point of
forgiveness and salvation.
We pray:
O God, we thank you for this universe,
our great home, for its vastness and its riches,
and for the diversity of the life
which teems upon it and of which we are a part.
We praise you for the arching sky
and the blessed winds, for the driving
clouds and the constellations on high.
We praise you for the salt sea
and the running water, for the everlasting hills,
for the trees, and for the grass under our feet.
Grant us, we pray you, a heart wide open
to all this joy and beauty, and save our souls
From being so steeped in care,
Or so darkened by passion,
That we pass heedless and unseeing
When even the thorn bush by the wayside
Is aflame with the glory of God. Amen.
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REFLECTING ON SCRIPTURE
___________________________________________________
READING
33
When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they
crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one
on his left.
34
Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not
know what they are doing.’ And they cast lots to divide his
clothing.
35
And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders
scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he
is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!’
36
The soldiers also mocked
him, coming up and offering him sour wine,
37
and saying, ‘If you
are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’
38
There was also an
inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’
39
One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him
and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’
40
But
the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you
are under the same sentence of condemnation?
41
And we indeed
have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve
for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’
42
Then he
said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’
43
He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in
Paradise.’
LUKE 23:33-43
• One member of the group reads the passage aloud slowly.
• Keep a few moments’ silence following the first reading.
• Another member of the group then reads the passage
through a second time.
• Invite everyone to say aloud a single word, or short phrase
from the passage that strikes them or they resonate with.
• A third person reads the passage a final time.
• Share with the group why you chose that word or phrase.
!
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REFLECTION HUGH KEMPSTER
Ultimately, forgiveness in our own strength, as important as that
is, will always be left wanting. Forgiveness is a reality we need to
actively work towards, but equally it is a gift, something beyond
our selves and our efforts. Forgiveness is a divine act. In his Easter
Sermon, St John Chrysostom proclaims: “Let no one mourn that
they have fallen again and again; for Forgiveness has risen from
the grave.” Jesus is forgiveness personified. As Henri Nouwen
writes, in his poignant reflection “Forgiveness: The Name of Love
in a Wounded World” (Weavings, vol. vii, no. 2, 1992):
The hard truth is that we all love poorly . . .
We need to forgive and be forgiven
every day, every hour – unceasingly.
That is the great work of love
among the fellowship of the weak
that is the human family.
The voice that calls us the Beloved
is the voice of freedom
because it sets us free to love without wanting
anything in return.
This has nothing to do with self-sacrifice,
self-denial or self-depreciation.
But has everything to do with the abundance of love
that has been freely given to me and from which
I freely want to give.
Over Holy Week, in Christian churches, we traditionally focus our
thoughts and prayers on the Cross of Christ. We may walk the
Stations of the Cross. We are invited to journey with the faithful
into the Triduum, our annual pilgrimage from Maundy Thursday
to Easter Day. On Good Friday, with countless Christians around
the world, of every creed and colour, we enter into the great
mystery of the Atonement: “When I survey the wondrous cross |
On which the Prince of glory died | My richest gain I count but
loss | And pour contempt on all my pride | See from His head,
His hands, His feet | Sorrow and love flow mingled down! | Did
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e’er such love and sorrow meet | Or thorns compose so rich a
crown?”
As Jesus hangs in excruciating pain, between two criminals, on a
splintered wooden cross, we reflect on the profound compassion
and forgiveness of our Lord, for his executioners, and for all of us:
“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”
As we meditate on the Passion, as we re-enact the institution of
the Eucharist, as we celebrate the Empty Tomb, we are
myseriously drawn into the real presence of Christ crucified and
risen, with us in the here and now.
It is an ancient Christian discipline, entering into the Passion of
Jesus. In the opening chapter of her book, the medieval mystic,
Julian of Norwich, tells of three graces that she earnestly prayed
for as a younger woman: to enter more deeply into Jesus’ Passion;
to embrace as a gift any sickness that might come her way; and to
receive three wounds: contrition, compassion and a longing for
God’s will. Her devotional intensity faded as she grew older, and
she largely forgot the passionate prayer of her youth.
But then, at the age of thirty, Julian fell seriously ill, perhaps with
the plague. Her priest came to visit. He gave her a crucifix to gaze
on: “Daughter, I have brought you the image of your saviour.
Look at it and take comfort from it, in reverence of him who died
for you and me” (Colledge and Walsh, p.128). As her life seemed
to be slipping away, Julian beheld the crucifix, and then suddenly
she was reminded of the prayer of her youth. Be careful what you
pray for! Illness had indeed come upon her, and so she now asked
the Lord to fill her body with “recollection and feeling of his
blessed Passion … that his pains might be my pains” (p. 129).
A most remarkable thing then took place; God answered Julian’s
youthful prayers with a series of sixteen “showings.”
Contemplating the crucifix, Julian saw blood pouring from the
crown of thorns, as real as if she was at Jesus’ crucifixion. As she
beheld, she saw the blood dry and her beloved Lord’s face turn
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deadly pale, then blue, and finally brown. Death took hold of his
flesh. And then she writes (pp. 214-6):
I watched with all my might for the moment when Christ
would expire, and I expected to see his body quite dead; but
I did not see him so, and just at the moment when by
appearances it seemed to me that life could last no longer …
he changed to an appearance of joy . . .. Then our good Lord
put a question to me: Are you well satisfied that I suffered
for you? I said: Yes, good Lord, all my thanks to you; yes,
good Lord, blessed may you be. Then Jesus our good Lord
said: If you are satisfied, I am satisfied. It is a joy, a bliss, an
endless delight to me that I ever suffered my Passion for
you.
These showings, and Julian’s profound theological reflections on
them, encapsulate a deep truth: only in and through Jesus can
betrayal, cruelty, and even death, be truly transformed into joy and
victory. The way of the cross becomes the way of life. No matter
how loving we may be in our own strength, forgiveness often
escapes us, especially if the cuts are deep. It is only Jesus who can
take on the unbearable burden of wrongdoing and intercede on
our behalf: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they
are doing.”
I would like to close with a forgiveness story of my own. Between
1997 and 2003 there was an eruption of ethnic violence in the
Solomon Islands. The Istabu Freedom Movement, an indigenous
Guadalcanal militant organisation, led by the warlord Harold Keke
and others, fought a bloody battle for political power and land
rights with the Malaitia Eagle Force. More than 200 people were
killed, and thousands of innocent civilians were impacted by the
brutal violence. On 24
th
July 2003 the Australian-led Regional
Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) commenced, also
known as Operation Helpem Fren (Solomon Islands Pidgin for
“help a friend”). It took ten years, and an estimated AU$2.6
billion, before the last of the 7,270 Australian personnel were
withdrawn.
!
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In 2009 Father Sam Ata, from Malaitia Province, former Dean of
St Barnabas Cathedral Church in Honiara, was appointed
Chairman of the Solomon Islands Truth and Reconciliation
Commission (TRC). The 2012 TRC Report opens with a quote
from human rights activist, Priscilla Hayner: “Remembering is not
easy, but forgetting may be impossible.” The Report goes on to
document six sets of human rights violations that came to light
through the TRC hearings: killings, abductions/illegal detentions,
torture/ill-treatment, sexual violence, property violations and
forced displacements.
I remember vividly the day I picked up my friend Father Sam from
Melbourne airport. He was thin, drawn, and exhausted; a shadow
of the fit muscular young man I had studied with at theological
college in New Zealand. Bishop Terry Brown, the retired Anglican
Bishop of Malaita, and editor of the 2012 TRC Report, had
recently gone behind the back of Prime Minister Gordon Darcy
Lilo, and released the politically-charged five-volume Report to
some sixty individuals and select media outlets. In his
accompanying press release Bishop Brown wrote: “The Report is
very accurate and comprehensive and gives proper recognition to
the victims of the conflict whose stories should be heard. It is not
good enough to forgive the perpetrators and forget the victims,
which seems to be the approach of the Government. I feel
strongly about this as I too lived through this period of Solomon
Islands history and was a participant in the tragedy of those
times.” The pre-release was motivated by justice, no doubt, but it
was an explosive decision in the build up to the 2014 election. As
TRC Chair, and the only Solomon Islander on the Commission,
Father Sam was caught up in a political tornado; not to mention
the trauma of years of hearings, and the ongoing grief of losing
loved ones himself during the conflict. He quite literally had the
weight of the world on his shoulders.
After Mass at St Peter’s Eastern Hill, in Melbourne, one morning,
over breakfast, he told me of his search for a mass-grave hidden in
the dense bush: “The pathway ahead of us mysteriously
disappeared, and we became lost; blinded almost. It was a spiritual
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battle. But we pushed on, and eventually found the grave.” I was
overwhelmed just listening, “How did you ever find the strength
to keep going?” He replied, “I know many of these people. And I
know the atrocities they committed. In my own strength I would
have given up long ago. But as priests, as Christians, you and I
have the greatest gift. We can lay these impossible burdens at the
Altar. It is Christ crucified who forgives when I can’t.”
TELLING OUR STORIES
Tell your story, if you feel comfortable doing so, and listen actively to the stories
of others in the group. The following questions may be helpful as you explore
this week’s forgiveness theme:
• Are there situations that you can think of, where forgiveness
is almost impossible?
• Recall a time when you have laid a heavy burden at the Altar,
or at the foot of the Cross. What did you do? How did it
feel?
• What do you think about the Truth and Reconciliation
process in countries such as South Africa, Rwanda, or the
Solomon Islands? Is it fair that perpetrators escape
incarceration? How do these processes bring healing?
• Restorative Justice programs have been developed within the
criminal justice system, in schools, and in response to family
violence. Have you had experience of this? What do you
think of this as a response to crime and wrong-doing?
!
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CLOSING PRAYER
___________________________________________________
Say together this prayer in closing:
Saviour, you have conquered tears by your crying,
pain by your suffering, and death by your dying.
We come together before your cross to remember your suffering,
and to realise afresh the wonder of your compassion and love.
As we listen to your words from the cross,
show us the truth about ourselves.
Let us know, and help to acknowledge, what our sins have done.
And let us determine to follow your way of life,
Bringing glory to your name for ever.
Amen.
THE WEEK AHEAD: SEE, HEAR, FEEL
___________________________________________________
These additional resources and activities may be helpful for digging deeper, as
you explore further the issues raised in this session and your response to Jesus’
teaching. All on-line links below were successfully accessed on 29
th
November
2021, but over time some may cease to connect if updated or removed by the
website owners.
SEE
Documentary – “Journey of the Heart: The Life of Henri
Nouwen”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U8M1gx5Rk4
Solomon Islands TRC, “Final Report: Confronting the Truth for a
Better Solomon Islands” (2012)
https://truthcommissions.humanities.mcmaster.ca/wp-
content/uploads/2021/02/Solomon-Islands-Truth-and-
Reconciliation-Commission_TRC_Final-Report_Vol1.pdf
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70!
Film – “Saint Julian of Norwich” by Mary’s Dowry Productions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvQy7fgQrc0
HEAR
Julian of Norwich, Revelations Of Divine Love read by David Barnes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OHGAjbyJcM
Miracle Singers (Solomon Islands) - I Surrender:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWcTIUBbL5s
FEEL
Setting down the stone. For this ritual you will need a heavy
stone. You want to feel its weight as burdensome. Walk with this
stone some distance to a private place. Make a cross in this place,
as best you can: from branches, or cut into the soil or sand. Sit for
a time. Reflect on the heavy stone and all that it symbolises for
you. Then undertake the following:
• Admit to the stone what you have done, or tell of what has
been done to you.
• Express something of the anguish you have caused or
experienced.
• Then apologise to the stone, or imagine receiving an apology
yourself.
• Imagine the person or situation in your minds eye. Consid
er
the details of what you recall.
• If forgiveness is beyond you, or being withheld, ask for
God’s forgiveness.
• Decide on a forgiving course of action: making amends,
seeking reconciliation, or deciding to end the relationship a
s
lovingly as you can.
• In prayer, ask for God’s help, especially if forgiveness seem
s
elusive or impossible.
• Then set the stone down at the foot of the cross you have
made. Leave it there.
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REFERENCES AND SOURCES
___________________________________________________
IMAGES
Figure 1: “Coquon (Awabakal language for the Hunter River), Ash
Island, Hunter Valley, NSW” Steve Plassow (used with
permission)
Figure 2: “Bush Track, Victoria” Adnan Uddin (Pexels)
Figure 3: “Planet Earth” Pixabay (Pexels)
Figure 4: “Waterfall, Awabakal country, Watagan mountains,
NSW” Steve Plassow (used with permission)
Figure 5: “Sand Talk” from Tyson Yunkaporta, Sand Talk: How
Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World (Melbourne: Text Publishing
Company, 2019), p.89
Figure 6: “Rock Faces, Central Australia” Cassandra Brown (used
with permission)
Figure 7: “Fourfold Path” John Hendry; from Desmond and
Mpho Tutu, The Book of Forgiving: the Fourfold Path for Healing
Ourselves and Our World (London: William Collins, 2014), p. 49
Figure 8: “Bee and Kangaroo Paw” Steve Plassow (used with
permission)
Figure 9: “Memory Mountain” Ken Duncan (used with
permission)
The additional “See, Hear, Feel” images and resources reproduced here in the
E-book version are copyright free.
“Forgiveness:!A!Study!Guide!”!E-book!
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TEXTS
Berry, Wendell. The World-Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry
selected and introd
uced by Paul Kingsnorth (London: Allen Lane,
2017)
Colledge, Edmund; Walsh, James; eds. Julian of Norwich: Showings
(New York: Paulist Press, 1978)
Comte-Sponville, Andre. A Small Treatise On The Great Virtues: The
Uses of Philosophy in Everyday Life (New York: Holt Paperbacks,
2002)
Cottrell, Stephen; Croft, Steven; Gooder, Paula; Atwell, Robert.
Pilgrim: A Course for the Christian Journey (London: Church House
Publishing, 2013)
Emmaus Productions. “One-Der” hosted by Noel Davis (2021)
Emmaus Productions. “The Prodigal Child” poetic reflections
(2021)
Falla, Terry C. Be Our Freedom Lord (Adelaide: Open Book, 1994)
Frost, Shane. “Awabakal Wisdom” yarning - personal
conversation and teaching in family group (2018)
Girard, René. Deceit, Desire and the Novel Baltimore (Baltimore: John
Hopkins University Press, 1961)
Girard, René. Things Hidden since the Foundation of the World
(London: The Athlone Press, 1978)
Girard, René. Violence and the Sacred (Baltimore: John Hopkins
University Press, 1972)
Holloway, Richard. On Forgiveness: how can we forgive the unforgiveable?
(Edinburgh: Canongate, 2015)
“Forgiveness:!A!Study!Guide!”!E-book!
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Horsey, David. “Nelson Mandela transformed himself and then
his nation” Los Angeles Times Archives (6
th
December, 2013)
www.latimes.com/opinion/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-nelson-
mandela-20131206-story.html
Howells, Kerry. Untangling you: How Can I be Grateful When I Feel So
Resentful? (Melbourne: Major Street Publishing, 2021)
How to Forgive - pamphlet from i4Give Day (2021)
Huggins, Philip. “President’s Reflection, August 2021”
www.ncca.org.au/ncca-newsletter/august-2021-1/item/2535-
president-s-reflection-2021081
Kuhl, David. What Dying People Want: Practical Wisdom for the End of
Life (Ultimo, NSW: ABC Books, 2002)
McElrea, F.W.M. (Fred). “A Christian Approach to Conflict
Resolution” paper presented to the Australasian Christian Legal
Convention, Melbourne (1-4 February 2001)
Newton Cain, Tess. “Final Report of the Solomon Island Truth
and Reconciliation Commission unofficially released”
https://devpolicy.org/final-report-of-the-solomon-islands-truth-
reconciliation-commission-unofficially-released-20130501-2/
Nouwen, Henri. “Forgiveness: The Name of Love in a Wounded
World” Weavings, vol. vii, no. 2 (1992)
Nussbaum, Martha C. Anger and Forgiveness: Resentment, Generosity,
Justice (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016)
Orthodox Prayer – “Jesus Prayer: the Prayer of the Heart”
www.orthodoxprayer.org/Jesus%20Prayer.html
Oughourlian, Jean-Michel. The Mimetic Brain (Michigan: Michaigan
State Univeristy Press, 2013)
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Peterson, Christopher; Seligman, Martin E. P. Character Strengths
and Virtues (Oxford, OUP, 2004)
Pfaff, Donald W. The Altruistic Brain: How We Are Naturally Good
(New York: Oxford University Press, 2015)
Sheldrake, Philip and Ignatius. The Way of Ignatius Loyola:
Contemporary Approaches to Spiritual Exercises (London: SPCK, 1991)
Solomon Islands TRC, “Final Report: Confronting the Truth for a
Better Solomon Islands” (2012)
https://truthcommissions.humanities.mcmaster.ca/wp-
content/uploads/2021/02/Solomon-Islands-Truth-and-
Reconciliation-Commission_TRC_Final-Report_Vol1.pdf
Stein, M. Outside inside and All Around: And Other Essays in Jungian
Psychology (Asheville, North Carolina: Chiron Publications, 2017)
The Dalai Lama; Tutu, Desmond; Abrams, Douglas. The Book of
Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World (New York: Avery, 2016)
The New English Hymnal (Norwich: Canterbury Press, 1986)
Tomlin, Uncle Chris. “Personal Conversations with Arrente
Elder” (2021)
Tutu, Desmond and Mpho. The Book of Forgiving (London: William
Collins, 2014)
Vaillant, George E. Spiritual Evolution: a Scientific Defence of Faith
(New York: Broadway Books, 2008)
Values in Action (VIA) Survey of Character Strengths (see
University of Pennsylvania website – “Questionnaires”)
https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/
“Walk a While” – empowering indigenous creativity and enabling
lasting change. https://walkawhile.org.au/
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Williamson, Marianne. A Return to Love: Reflections
on the Principles of
a Course in Miracles (New York: HarperCollins, 1992)
Yunkaporta, Tyson. Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the
World (Melbourne: Text Publishing Company, 2019)
VIDEO
Bays, Brandon, and Kevin Billett. "Extended Meditation by
Brandon Bays". 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=TY90loPPLrg.
Redekop, Vern Neufeld. "From Violence to Blessing - Overview of
Key Ideas ". University of Saint Paul. 2014. http://youtu.be/
FEnc3a8QwvM.
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THE AUTHORS
___________________________________________________
(left to right): Bishop Philip Huggins, John Hendry,
Felicity McCallum, Father Hugh Kempster
JOHN HENDRY
OAM
For more than 50 years John Hendry
has been working in schools throughout
Australia and internationally in China,
Hong Kong, Singapore, NZ, South
Korea, and Europe. He has presented
at UNESCO conferences on bullying
and harassment, trauma, and resilience;
as well at international conferences on
restorative justice, education and school
cultures. He has run workshops for
industry as well as retreats for religious
organisations. John’s work with elite sporting bodies on the role of
forgiveness in personal and team performance has been
significant. John was a primary player in the establishment and
development of Positive Psychology into education (and the
workplace) through his pivotal work in establishing Positive
Education as a significant focus of student wellbeing while
Director of Student Welfare at Geelong Grammar School. Also
known as the “Bradman of Bendigo” in 2014 John was awarded
the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to Education
and Cricket.
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PHILIP HUGGINS
After years of ministry in diverse
settings Bishop Philip Huggins brings
many experiences to these studies. At
the individual level, from the poignancy
of standing at grave side with families in
unresolved division, to observing the
sadness of former friends, with many
abilities, who seem unable to recover
friendship after mistakes. At the global
level, for example, he has pursued
nuclear disarmament as nations, who
are locked into negative stereotyping of each other, consider it
rational to threaten mass destruction. Philip has also helped offer
services and advocacy to people displaced from their homes as
refugees and asylum-seekers. Listening to these dear souls as well
as to dear First Nation folk in Australia, has taught him about the
nature of trauma, intergenerational trauma, and the place of
forgiveness in the journey of healing. Philip’s wife Liz is a
psychologist and artist. They are blessed with a beautiful family
and are doing what they can so their grandchildren may flourish in
a kinder world of giving and forgiving. Recently, much involved in
advocacy and prayer regarding climate change, Philip sees the links
in these Studies to a more beneficial life for all God’s creation.
HUGH KEMPSTER
Father Hugh Kempster is Senior
Chaplain at Melbourne Grammar
School, and formerly Vicar of St Peter’s
Eastern Hill, an historic Anglo-Catholic
parish in Melbourne. Hugh has also
served as a Director of the Brotherhood
of St Laurence, a not-for-profit
organisation that works toward the
vision of an Australia free of poverty;
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and as a member of the Geelong Grammar School Council. In
2008, after 20 years of parish ministry in New Zealand, and
receiving a PhD in Medieval Studies, Hugh was appointed Senior
Chaplain at Geelong Grammar School, the same year that Prof.
Marty Seligman took up his first six-month residency at the
School. Since then Hugh has had an active interest in the interface
between faith and positive psychology. Prior to becoming an
Anglican priest Hugh was an Electronic Engineer. He and his wife
Ree have two daughters and four grandchildren living in New
Zealand and Australia.
FELICIY MCCALLUM
Felicity McCallum is an Awabakal
Elder. She has been relying on
forgiveness-focused methods for
healing children, and streamlining
young people’s education in Catholic
schools as well as maximising their
enrichment via youth ministry activities
for 25 years. She is a teacher of yoga
and a practitioner of “The Journey” for
people of all ages, both holistic healing
based approaches that focus on union, forgiveness and letting go
of past hurts. Felicity has found through her doctoral research,
university teaching, and civic leadership activities for Indigenous-
non-Indigenous engagement that peacemaking naturally comes
when truth is set free, that relationships matter above everything
else, and gentleness is usually the key. She ascribes to the belief
that there is no human heart or relationship that cannot be healed
through forgiveness, and that Reconciliation is the only way to
true personal, family, and global security.
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THE ARTIST
___________________________________________________
GLEN LOUGHREY
Father Glenn Loughrey
is a Wiradjuri man from
NSW, an Anglican Priest
in the Diocese of
Melbourne, and the
Vicar of St Oswald’s,
Glen Iris. He is an artist
who fuses Indigenous
art styles with Western
forms of storytelling. He
often uses his art to reflect on the diversity of Indigenous identity
and its disconnect from the dominant culture. He explores his
own journey of discovery to reclaim the sense of country on a
personal and community level. He is an established author and
speaker on Aboriginal and contemplative subjects and is a
recognised scholar of the work and thought of Thomas Merton.
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“In Search of Peace” acrylic on canvas, painted with a stick, 2021.
The central figure in this painting is a small red clown with head
down rolling up a ball of almost invisible red string as he or she
goes in search of peace.
Peace is often seen to be a foolish mission in our aching world.
The string winds its way through a complex world under a
changing sky. The landscape contains a range of symbols and
motifs, a cross, human figures, a pregnant woman, a praying man,
a war/slave/colonial ship … and more.
On the right of the painting, there are 3 birds, often symbolic of
the trinity or the transcendent in my art, but also the totems of
many ancient nations silhouetted against an unpainted white sky
suggesting that there is something greater than what we see or
experience.
The Rev’d Canon Glenn Loughrey
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