In our Sufi practice, we often use the Arabic mantra estoferallah, as a way to forgive ourselves when we forget we are divine and connected to all.
This poetry reminds us again how important it is to forgive unceasingly.
The Hard Truth
The hard truth is that we all love poorly . . .
We need to forgive and be forgiven
every day, every hour – unceasingly.
That is the great work of love
among the fellowship of the weak
that is the human family.
The voice that calls us the Beloved
is the voice of freedom
because it sets us free to love without wanting
anything in return.
This has nothing to do with self-sacrifice,
self-denial or self-depreciation.
But has everything to do with the abundance of love
that has been freely given to me and from which
I freely want to give.
— Henri Nouwen, “Forgiveness: The Name of Love in a Wounded World,” excerpt from Weavings, March/April 1992