My husband and I recently returned from a pilgrimage to holy sites in northern Greece. During this trip, the men in the group spent some time on Mt. Athos, while the women stayed near Ormylia and visited The Monastery of the Annunciation.  While visiting Simonopetra, one of the monks gave the men the following directive:   “You should ask your wife for forgiveness every day.”

Please take some time as a couple to prayerfully contemplate and discuss with your spouse the following questions:

  • How do we actually practice forgiveness in our lives, particularly in our marriage?
  • What does it mean to daily ask our wife/husband for forgiveness and to grant forgiveness to the other?
  • What does an intentional daily practice of forgiveness in marriage look like?

The following article may be helpful:  “How to Forgive Others and Receive Forgiveness,” by Hiermonk Jonah. http://www.antiochian.org/content/forgiveness-and-reconciliation-how-forgive-others-and-receive-forgiveness

Please feel free to offer any comments so that we can support one another as we seek, by the grace of God, to grow in the practice of forgiveness.