https://doi.org/10.21697/wsp.2017.12.2.35.06
The author, referring to Christ’s words: “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22), is attempting to find the answer to the question: “can you order someone to forgive?” and consequently: “whether forgiveness is an act of justice or love”. A conclusion to this issue requires a response in several stages. First, the author shows that justice, which demands a punishment of guilt is unknown to forgiveness, which waives the right to a fair punishment. Forgiveness thus appears as a heroic virtue, which is the gift of excess and beyond human justice. Thus, it is both an act of love and an act of mercy. It is a perfect gift offered to the offender, free and irreversible. It does not mean, however, that forgiveness is an enemy of justice. It is not opposed to the dictates of justice, although it does not exhaust them. The “innate” nature of forgiveness, exceeding the requirements of justice and demanding an impartial and freely o ered on the part of the victim, makes it that it cannot be an order by law. Christ’s command to the student: “You should forgive!” may be read symbolically. A situation of broken ties or suffering due to separation, is an urgent call to forgiveness. The victim hears the silent cry of the culprit: “love me!”, “forgive me!”, “do not kill me because you love me!”, “let your love be greater than my sin!”, which demands an immediate response in the form of forgiveness.
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