LESSON 62
March 3

"Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world."

PRACTICE SUMMARY

Exercise: as often as you can.

Close eyes, if possible, and tell yourself: "Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world. I would fulfill my function that I may be happy." Think about these statements. Let related thoughts come. If your mind wanders, repeat idea and add: "I would remember this because I want to be happy."

COMMENTARY

What does the light of the world do? It forgives. As the light of the world my function isn't to teach them new ideas, to straighten out people'smisunderstandings, or to be their knight in shining armor. My functions simply to forgive them.

"Forgiveness is the demonstration that you are the light of the world. Through your forgiveness does the truth about yourself return to your memory" (1:3-4). Forgiveness not only brings light into the minds of those around me, it enables me to remember the light in myself; it reminds me of the truth about myself. Forgiveness is what saves me. Doing what I am here to do reminds me of what I really am.

Why? Because "Illusions about yourself and the world are one"(2:1). If I see the illusion of sin in a brother, I am really seeing my own illusions about myself. When I forgive that brother, I am forgiving myself, seeing through the illusion that has obscured the truth about both him and me. When thoughts of attack are replaced with thoughts of forgiveness,I am replacing death with life.

Forgiveness is the means the Course sets forth as our way out of hell, because the hell we are in was made by our judgments and thoughts of attack.Forgiving calls upon the Christ in me, while attacking calls upon my own weakness. As I call upon the Christ in me, the Christ comes forward, andI begin to recognize the Christ as my true Self. Forgiveness restores "the invulnerability and power God gave His Son" (3:5).

Where is forgiveness needed? Not just in what we think of as the big things: betrayal, deceit, or obvious intent to harm. Any thought in my mind that separates me from another and makes me different is a thought of attack, and needs to be replaced with forgiveness. Any thought that belittles another, demeans him or her, sees the other as "less than,"views them as less worthy of love for any reason, pushes them away, views them with dislike, sees myself gaining at the other's loss, wishes for their injury or loss in some way, or lacks faith in the love in their heart, is a thought of attack, and needs to be replaced with forgiveness.

That is my function, today and every day. Let me release the world from the bondage in which I have placed it. Let me lift my judgment from it, and so rediscover the miraculous truth of my own divine nature by my willingness to see it in everyone around me.