Forgiveness is healthy

The gospel warns us about forgiveness. Jesus taught us that we should promote the reconciliation with our enemies, before offering God our gifts and prayers.

The doctrine taught by the superior spirits includes the forgiveness of trespasses, the indulgence for the imperfections of others and kindness to everyone; these virtues form the concept of charity, as it was understood by Jesus.

According to the Spiritist Doctrine, charity is the only way of salvation - because there is no other way to interpret the statement Without charity there is no salvation, adopted by Kardec - forgiveness is a good thing in all circumstances, especially for those who forgive.

Every time the spiritists examined this question, they never thought of material benefits.

The good resulting from forgiveness is considered as a reward for the eternal Spirit, even though it does not mean any advantage in purely material terms.

Let's use a practical example.

A person is robbed by someone, which results in a huge loss. When the person forgives the tormentor, she does not obtain any financial or material compensation with this gesture, since the benefits will be merely spiritual.

This was the dominant thought when speaking about the value of forgiveness, until a new fact has shown that the effect of forgiving those who have hurt or offended us goes beyond a simple inner satisfaction; what ennobles the soul capable of such gesture.

The news came from Michigan (United States), where researchers from the Hope College, ensure that forgive offences is a way to keep healthy and may even be crucial for the survival of the species.

The American researchers have compared the heart rate, sweat rate and other reactions of people exposed to suffering and anger; people who have managed to forgive and people who have not. Based on this they have  concluded that forgiveness is also good for the body and not only for the soul, something that Jesus, surely, knew.

If otherwise, the Master would not have insisted so much on the subject, which was included in the model prayer which he left for posterity, the Sunday prayer.

It is easy therefore to understand this simple lesson which Joanna de Angelis has included into the chapter 23 of her book Daily Episodes, psychographed by Divaldo Franco: 

“Only men of low moral seek revenge, falling into a deeper ditch  than the one of their persecutor.

If you excuse the accuser, you're better than him.

If you forgive the enemy, you are in a more fortunate position than his.

If you help those who have hurt you, for whatever reason, you have managed to be a good man, a true Christian.

Revenge, never!”