In a Dallas court , Brandt Jean, whose brother was slain by off-duty officer Amber Guyger, publicly forgave his brother’s killer. He revealed that this decision was prompted by his Christian faith. This act astonished those who witnessed it and certainly was an unexpected turn of events considering the details of the trial. And yet as Christians this total forgiveness is exactly what we are all called to show by Our Lord every day of our lives.
The virtue of forgiveness is a rare thing to see in our time. Jean’s beautiful display of Christian charity illustrates the power that forgiveness has over the human heart and serves as an example of the effect of the Gospel in the world. By imitating Christ we are truly transformed, and we dispose ourselves to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Only by changing our own hearts, and loving others with the love of Jesus Christ, can we truly reflect His love into our society and into the world.
In this lesson your students will:
Learn what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches about forgiveness and conversion of heart.
Explore Christ’s requirement of forgiveness in the parable of the unforgiving servant.
Discuss the powerful effect of forgiveness in the trial of Amber Guygers.
Evaluate how showing the forgiveness that Christ requires of us can change our lives and the lives of those around us.
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Matthew 18:21-35: The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. Then Peter approaching asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, [the servant] found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”
Luke 23:33-34a When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”
Reflection Question:
Was there ever a time you found it hard to forgive someone? Why? What does Christ say is the consequence of refusing to forgive from the heart?
Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 2608, 2840, & 2844
First, have your students read over the Gospel passages in the warm-up activity and either silently or in small groups consider the reflection question.
Then, give the class Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 2608, 2840, & 2844, along with “Two stunning hugs end Amber Guyger’s murder trial on a merciful note” from The Dallas Morning News.
Arrange your students into groups of three or four, and have them discuss what they read in the Catechism and compare it with what they read in the article using the focus and reflection questions.
When each group has finished discussing, call on groups to share with the class some key points from their conversation.
Close the class by praying together the Prayer of Forgiveness, found at the end of this lesson.
Answer Key
Focus and Reflection Questions
The Catechism lists the qualities of conversion of heart as “reconciliation with one's brother before presenting an offering on the altar, love of enemies, and prayer for persecutors, prayer to the Father in secret, not heaping up empty phrases, prayerful forgiveness from the depths of the heart, purity of heart, and seeking the Kingdom before all else” (CCC 2608). Accept reasoned answers.
Accept reasoned answers. Love is a reflection of the perfect unity of the Holy Trinity, which is eternal and indivisible. Love seeks the total gift of self, and it is the nature of love to desire perfect communion with the beloved. God wishes for us to forgive others as a reflection of His merciful love shown to us. This is why we pray in the Lord’s Prayer: “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matt. 6:12). Christ even tells us that when He returns, He will say to us “what you did not do for one ofthese least ones, you did not do for me” (Matt. 25:45). We must see the face of Christ in our neighbor and love him as we love Christ—this is how we show Christ our love for Him. Therefore, failing to forgive our neighbor is a rejection of Christ Himself; it closes us off from Our Lord’s merciful love by our own hand.
Accept reasoned answers.
Accept reasoned answers. It reveals the universal human need for love—and specifically the need for God’s mercy and forgiveness, due to of our fallen condition. Sin separates us from God and from our neighbor, and so when we encounter love and forgiveness in our lives we glimpse the fulfillment of the deepest longing of our hearts: reconciliation with God.
He revealed that he forgave his brother’s killer because of his Christian faith, saying “I think giving your life to Christ would be the best thing that Botham would want for you” and “I love you as a person, and I don’t wish anything bad on you.” This illustrates a respect for the dignity of another person’s life as made in the image of God, and as an image of the person of Christ. It also exemplifies the transformative power of Christ’s love in a person’s life. The Catechism teaches that “Christian prayer extends to the forgiveness of enemies, transfiguring the disciple by configuring him to his Master. Forgiveness is a high-point of Christian prayer; only hearts attuned to God's compassion can receive the gift of prayer. Forgiveness also bears witness that, in our world, love is stronger than sin… Forgiveness is the fundamental condition of the reconciliation of the children of God with their Father and of men with one another” (CCC 2844). Accept reasoned answers.
Accept reasoned answers. It is not wrong to desire justice. And yet, because of our fallen human nature, we do not see things as God sees them. Our worldly desire for justice can very easily be misplaced or misdirected, or can even turn into a desire for revenge, impeding our ability to see Christ in every person. This can lead to a failure on our part to forgive others, which results in being cut off from them, and from the love of God and the Person of Christ: “[i]n refusing to forgive our brothers and sisters, our hearts are closed and their hardness makes them impervious to the Father's merciful love” (CCC 2840).
Accept reasoned answers. If we are having trouble forgiving others, we should pray for the grace to imitate Christ and for the ability to love them even as we love Him. We can be confident that the Holy Spirit will aid us, for as Christ says, “everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matt. 7:8). Another thing we can do if we are struggling to forgive another is to greet their guardian angel and enlist his assistance—for each and every person walks under the protection of an angel assigned by God.
