When a colleague whose work I admired, whom I considered a friend, who for no reason that was ever clear to me, began to write vicious attacks of my work, I was stunned. Her critiques were full of lies and exaggerations. I had been a caring friend. Her actions hurt. To heal this pain I entered into an empathic identification with her so that I coul

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Mercy is a way to describe the mystery of forgiveness. More than a description of something God does now and then, it is who God is . According to Jesus, “Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13, 12:7). The word is hesed in Hebrew, and it means steadfast, enduring, unbreakable love. Sometimes the word is translated as “lovingkindness... See more

The group counselor said that one must forgive for one’s self and not for the perpetrator. This made little-to-no sense in my mind. We’re all on meds here, most of us are half zombie and half antsy: a weird mix. In white culture, forgiveness is synonymous with letting go. In my culture, I believe we carry pain until we can reconcile with it through

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