There is no path forward without forgiveness. 

Everybody needs to forgive somebody. When you think about forgiveness, someone probably comes to mind for you. Sometimes, the person we most need to forgive is ourselves. 

Saints Pontian and Hippolytus would have found it hard to forgive each other after their long rivalry—until they were sentenced to work to death in the same silver mine.

Pontian, elected Pope in 230 AD, and Hippolytus, a learned theologian in Rome, initially stood in fierce conflict. Hippolytus was so critical of the Church's leadership that he declared himself an antipope, creating a significant schism.

They could have remained enemies for the rest of their lives, but God had a plan to reconcile them. The Roman Emperor Maximinus Thrax exiled them both to the deadly mines of Sardinia, in an attempt to weaken the Church. It was here, in the face of suffering and ultimately death, that the grace of forgiveness began to work its healing.

Pontian, realizing he could do little to serve the Church from his exile, made the humbling decision to resign the papacy so that a new pope could be elected. Hippolytus, witnessing Pontian’s profound humility, confronted his own pride and the division he had inflicted upon the early Christian communities. He renounced his claim as antipope and came back into full communion with the Church.

In the final years of their lives, in those death mines on Sardinia, Pontian and Hippolytus learned not only to forgive each other but also to forgive themselves for their part in the schism. They learned that true leadership in faith comes from humility and the capacity to seek and offer forgiveness.

Forgiving someone is one of the hardest things to do in life, and the more you love someone and the more that person hurts you, the harder it is to forgive. Some days you feel like you're making great progress, and then there are days when you feel further away from being able to forgive than ever.

What I find humbling is that it is my need to forgive not their need to be forgiven. The person I need to forgive could be long gone and no longer a part of my life. He or she may not have even thought of me in years. The need is mine, and I find it's healthy to remember that. 

Whoever you need to forgive, it's time to set yourself to the task. Especially if the person you need to forgive is you.



Feast Day: August 13

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Cassian, Saint John Berchmans, Saint Philomena, and Saint Maximus the Confessor

Patron Saints of: Horses, Prison Guards, Officers, and Workers