Learning About Forgiveness With St. PatrickSample

Forgiveness Is a Gift

Back to the land of slav’ry?

I could not think of going!

That land was full of evil men

and pagan fires glowing.

They stole me from my parents!

How could that be forgiven?

The only way I could return

was by the strength of heaven.

In grace God did remind me

that forgiveness is a gift.

The holy brothers taught me true

and my heart began to shift.

To the Irish I returned

With a Bible and a bell.

Because God had forgiven me

then I could forgive as well.

When St. Patrick was first taken to Ireland, he was not treated well. So when he heard God ask him to go back, he didn’t want to. How could he ever forgive them for what they had done to him? Think of a time when someone did something that really upset you. How did that make you feel?

Sometimes, when someone hurts us, it feels impossible to forgive them. But like St. Patrick, remembering how much God has forgiven us can help us find a way to forgive others. Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (NIV).

Prayer: Dear God, thanks so much for your forgiveness. Thank you for the example of St. Patrick and how he forgave those who had been unkind to him. Help us to be kind and compassionate to one another and to forgive each other.

Activity: Cut hearts out of colored paper. On each heart, write the words “I forgive you because God forgives me.” Give the hearts to those in your life that you would like to forgive.