The Power of Forgiveness

Forgiveness isn’t condoning the behavior. No. It’s more about understanding that everyone does the best they can based on how they think. And, as Maya Angelou observed: “If they knew better, they would have done better.” How they behaved made sense to them, at the time (read that twice), even if their actions were foolish and hurtful. So practice the master skill of letting go - Robin Sharma

Palms symbolize humility and peace during Lent

Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem, days before his crucifixion, as described in the Gospels.

Crowds laid palm branches and cloaks on the road and shouted 'Hosanna' as he passed.  The crowds waved the palm branches, symbolizing victory and peace, as they hailed him as their King and Savior. 

This year, Palm Sunday is celebrated on April 13th, the final Sunday of Lent and the beginning of the Holy Week. 

During Palm Sunday Mass, palms are blessed and distributed to parishioners, often fashioned into crosses. The liturgical colors for the day are red and white, symbolizing Christ’s sacrifice and redemption through his blood.

In his message for the Jubilee Year, the Pope called for communal conversion and spiritual renewal, encouraging believers to embrace forgiveness and open their hearts to God's grace as a path to reconciliation with God and others. 

During Lent, forgiveness is a central theme, and Christians usually perform the Sacrament of Reconciliation by going to confession. Letting go of resentments, being sorry for sins committed, and essentially forgiving those who have hurt you aids in releasing the emotional burdens of anger, bitterness, and pain to foster healing, personal growth, and seek peace from within.

The power of forgiveness is liberating. By the Grace of God, you are transformed to break the barriers of division, hate, and anxiety, and instead demonstrate the following qualities:

1. Show solidarity to your brethren

2. Express affection and togetherness

3. Display harmony and compassion

4. Embody warmth and cohesion

5. Foster a sense of community

6. Promote mutual support and care

7. Celebrate togetherness and affection

8. Manifest kindness and unity

9. Exhibit empathy and connection

10. Unite in love and understanding

11. Foster charitable deeds, especially to the marginalised and underprivileged.

As the Holy Week approaches, Christ’s humility, sacrifice, and ultimate victory over sin and death offer hope and renewal to all believers.

At this time of great upheavals, invasions, terror, catastrophes, displacements, and climate issues, asking for forgiveness and forgiving others is crucial so the world can change its direction and move towards peace and harmony.

Have a blessed and holy week, everyone.

Shobana

Other News: Some great news to share with my readers. A story I wrote on the young climate change activist, Licypriya Kangujam from Manipur, India, was accepted for publication by Storyshares.org. Here's an excerpt of the email I received yesterday. I will share the link once everything is concluded and they send it to me. I am proud to be part of their authors selected to showcase our books in their libraries.

Congratulations! You are receiving this email. The story you've written, "The Fiesty Licypriya Kangujam", has been accepted for publication in the Storyshares library, where it will become a key part of our mission to spark a global love of reading. Thanks to the creativity of authors like you, we are turning teens and young adults who struggle with the written word into lifelong, avid readers. Currently, our books are being read in classrooms across all 50 states and more than 180 countries.

Here's what's happening with my latest publication, From Skopje to India. It's a book I am proud to have written. I gained a lot of inspiration from the Taj Mahal love story, the British colonial era at an end, Mahatma Gandhi's visit to Agra for peaceful transition of power, and Varanasi, which I never knew in-depth until I did the research.

Have you read it yet? Here are some reviews that really made me happy. Here's the link: Please read the sample to know more, and immerse yourself in a world of discovery, acceptance and change. https://www.amazon.com/Skopje-India-Shobana-Gomes-ebook/dp/B0DXP4WB4D. Free to read on Kindle Unlimited. Read it on Kindle or purchase the paperback copy on Amazon. Thank you.

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  Daṇḍin XY

  5.0 out of 5 stars A great adventure cast by words

  Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2025

  Verified Purchase

  I really wasn't expecting to find a story like this, and I wonder how the author, with her background, had the good sense to write such a thing.
  
  This story takes an Albanian from Skopje, North Macedonia (as the country it is in is called today) all the way to India. This contrast of cultures is very interesting to me, and the lives of itinerants as well.
  "As the nomads do, they moved from one place to another, and were often chased away by the town officials."
  
  There are great explorations of differing religious traditions and nomads' relationships to them in this book. This is a great adventure cast by words.
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  Mark

  5.0 out of 5 stars An authentic India exploration

  Reviewed in India on March 30, 2025

  Verified Purchase

  The first thing I saw while reading the book was that I was getting drawn into a journey to an exotic India 
• of the early 1900s. I was surprised by the authority of the author in depicting India in an authentic way. 
• I am sure the author has been there. 
• The observations on the cultural differences between the countries make it a book to be considered 
• as a record of history. Well done Shobana Gomes