Spiritual synapse

Saturday May 17th, John 20: 21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." As the children of God and followers of Christ, we are sent out to forgive others, the ultimate form of healing. What happens if we do not forgive, if we hold grudges, seek revenge and retaliation, is that we are left holding the bag. In the brain, nerve endings do not touch, there is a small gap across which a spark jumps, a connection made, a thought formed and the brain works as God intended (simplified I know but work with me). In life, if the connection between one another is not made, if forgiveness is withheld and grudges, revenge and retaliation are allowed to insulate and protect us from the possibility of connection, we cease to function as God intended. To forgive is to be open to the process of reconciliation, but keep in mind, it is also to be open to change. Change that can only take place on one side is not change at all, but rather tyranny, as Paulo Freire, in the book, “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” points out, to invite one into a system that must remain unchanged is a act of violence.