MFP 332: The Seven Marks of Christian Forgiveness
Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family
Mike and Alicia Hernon : Catholic Marriage Parent and Family
4.9 • 841 Ratings
🗓️ 12 May 2025
⏱️ 49 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
If forgiveness isn't hard, you aren't doing it right - Dan Meola
Summary
Many parents struggle with their children--not because of the kids, but because of the wounds they are carrying from their own parents. The only path for healing those wounds is forgiveness. But how do we forgive, especially when the hurts are deep and real? In this podcast we sat down with Dan Meola, the founder of Life Giving Wounds, a ministry for adult children of divorce. We talked about the importance of forgiveness, what it is--and what it is not. To define true forgiveness, Dan walks us through the seven marks of forgiveness that bring insight to this path to true reconciliation and healing.
Key Takeaways
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No matter how you have been hurt you need to let go of the grudge and forgive. Unforgiveness hurts us, hurts those around us, and prevents our healing.
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If forgiveness isn't hard, you aren't doing it right.
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Christianity is the only religion that requires forgiveness, even if it is unilateral. This is impossible by human standards and can only be done by God's grace.
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The Seven Marks are:
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It is specific
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It is an ongoing process.
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Can be unilateral
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Means you still have boundaries
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It is a choice, not a feeling
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Enables you to let go of anger, resentment, and to cancel past debts
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Is only possible with the grace of God
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Family, all in this together. |
| 0:08.2 | Family, we're taking a chance. |
| 0:10.8 | Family, like birds of a feather. |
| 0:13.3 | Family, we got my shoes and dance. |
| 0:15.4 | Hey, we are Mike and Alicia Hernin. |
| 0:17.4 | We have 10 kids and grandkids too, and we are here for every parent. Because we are on a |
| 0:22.2 | mission to empower moms and dads to embrace their sacred calling. So join the conversation. |
| 0:27.7 | Welcome to today's podcast. You're in for a real treat. All of us, regardless of our state of life, need to work on forgiveness. |
| 0:41.5 | There's an importance to it just by being a Christian, but there's also a power that we need to |
| 0:47.0 | unleash in our family for ourselves and for our children. And we're going to interview today, |
| 0:51.8 | our good friend, Dan Miola, who we've had on the podcast before. |
| 0:55.3 | And he is the president and founder of Life Giving Wounds, a ministry that serves and walks really with adult children of divorce. |
| 1:07.5 | And I know that that is a ministry. |
| 1:09.5 | We refer a lot of people to because it is absolutely |
| 1:13.1 | so powerful. But I think that through that journey of walking with people, he has discovered |
| 1:19.2 | and has been able to kind of like articulate why forgiveness, like you said, no matter what your |
| 1:25.4 | situation, why forgiveness for everybody is so, so very important. |
| 1:29.5 | Yeah. And it walks through what's necessary for forgiveness and what's not. You know, |
| 1:33.8 | sometimes we have some some false ideas that come into it. He walks through both how to do it |
| 1:38.0 | and one of the marks of it for us as Christians. And really, there is a power again for us as parents individually, but also to |
| 1:46.6 | pass that on for our kids. But before we get to today's topic, I want to invite you on two |
| 1:53.8 | things. First, we are hosting a webinar, a teaching, and a date night in advance of Pentecost for parents on unleashing |
... |
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