To say that offering forgiveness is a challenge is an understatement. Forgiveness is tough! Forgiveness is often messy. Forgiveness doesn’t feel good to most of us. And when it comes to the biggest, deepest hurts in life, forgiveness can seem impossible.
Some hurts are the everyday, garden-variety irritations we endure for having to live in the company of other human beings who lose their tempers, get up on the wrong side of the bed, say nasty things, are ungrateful, selfish, and irritable. Some hurts are of a magnitude that far transcend these — degradation, exploitation, abandonment, rejection, humiliation, racism, bullying, physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. But with God’s grace, even in those most difficult cases, forgiveness is possible.
In Choosing Forgiveness, Fr. Thomas Berg and Dr. Timothy G. Lock are your guides on the way toward forgiveness through the grace of God. This book will help you discover the pathway to healing, peace, and interior freedom, releasing you and those who have wronged you from the bondage of unforgiveness.
“This work will stand the test of time as it is anchored in an authentic Catholic anthropology, psychology and spirituality. It is a complete and robust presentation on forgiveness. Every page invites realism and hope. This would be a useful book for pastors and clinicians and spiritual directors. The Church will be aided greatly by the authors’ insights and faith.”
— Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., Professor of Spiritual Theology, Kenrick Glennon Seminary
“Fr. Berg and Dr. Lock have produced an important work in which they encourage readers to forgive by practicing love toward those who acted unfairly. Such love is accomplished not only by the person’s will to forgive in this way but also by the grace of Jesus Christ, Who showed us how to love. The pathway outlined by the authors should be helpful to those who need to heal their hearts, which have been wounded by others’ injustices. Such forgiveness may heal individuals, families, and communities.”
— Dr. Robert D. Enright, PhD, author and cofounder of the International Forgiveness Institute
“Dr. Lock and Fr. Berg have managed to render the daunting idea of forgiveness accessible in all its facets. This is a wonderfully gentle and informative read to inspire anyone who is struggling with a wounded soul or broken heart but, after surviving difficult circumstances, finds forgiving elusive or impossible. Here is a book worthy of reflection and discussion with trusted friends and spiritual counsel.”
— Teresa Pitt Green, Co-Founder of Spirit Fire, a Christian Restorative Justice Initiative, and Co-Author of Veronica's Veil: A Christ-Centered Approach for Spiritual Companions of Adult Survivors of Sexual Abuse
“Although one of the fundamental tenets of Christianity is forgiveness, Christians often struggle with its true meaning. This book fills a gap in our understanding of how we can enter this process and find the peace and healing promised by the Lord. This book has been long overdue.”
— Suzanne M. Baars, PhD, Founder of the Baars Institute
“Theologians have written erudite works on forgiveness. Psychologists have written self-help books telling us how to do it. This rare book offers the best of both worlds: Christian profundity combined with wise advice on how Christians can enact the grace of forgiveness in real life. Fittingly, it is written by a priest and a psychologist. Call it God-help. At the end they point to an unexpected possibility of forgiveness that just might save the Church.”
— Daniel Philpott, professor of Political Science, University of Notre Dame, and author of Just and Unjust Peace: An Ethic of Political Reconciliation
