Sarah Kehrberg (“Be the bigger person,” September) writes of breaking ties, and the pain almost jumps from the page. She writes about the “god of family,” but isn’t this really about “as we forgive those who sin against us” and what forgiveness should look like? My neighbor says, “l have two daughters; one has disowned me.” She points out how widespread the idea of cutting ties has become — acceptable, even necessary, for one’s own happiness. But doesn’t cutting ties risk hardening hearts? There is a difference between ordinary cases of forgiveness and extreme cases, like murder or physical abuse, where it’s dangerous to have contact. In ordinary cases, if a person offers a sincere apology, is it not a sin to refuse? To forgive but say, “I don’t want anything to do with you because you might hurt me in the future,” denies that people can change. Changed behavior ought to earn back relationship. Can we have stories of healed relationships? Teach us peacemaking.
Frank Semkow, Litchfeld, Ohio
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