Every judgment I hold against another is a judgment I carry within myself. I may believe I am seeing someone clearly, but when I look through the eyes of fear, I see only a story I have made about them.

Forgiveness invites me to look again.

Behind the appearances, the mistakes, and the suffering is the innocence that God created. My brother may have forgotten who he is, just as I sometimes forget who I am. Yet the truth of our being remains unchanged.

When I choose to see him through the eyes of Christ, something within me is released. I no longer need to defend my judgments or hold him captive to my perceptions. And in setting him free, I discover that I, too, am free.

This is the beautiful simplicity of today's lesson: everything I give, I give myself. Forgiveness is not a sacrifice I make for another. It is the gift through which I remember our shared innocence.

Every step toward this recognition is already held in God's grace. I need only become willing to accept what has always been given.

And with that willingness comes gratitude—not only for my brother, but for the identity we share in God.