President Gordon B. Hinckley
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Forgiveness "may be the greatest virtue on earth, and certainly the most needed. . . . There is so great a need for repentance and forgiveness."
Examples of forgiveness are found throughout the scriptures: The story of the prodigal son. The Sermon on the Mount. The story of the scribes and Pharisees who brought before Jesus a woman taken in adultery.
Also, "the great crowning love of the Savior was expressed when in his dying agony he cried out 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.' "
"There are so many in our day who are unwilling to forgive and forget. Children cry and wives weep because fathers and husbands continue to bring up little shortcomings that really are of no importance."
While "unspeakable crimes," such as "deliberate murder and rape" do justify hard penalties, there are "some who could be saved from long stultifying years in prison because of an unthoughtful, foolish act. Somehow forgiveness, with love and tolerance, accomplishes miracles that can happen in no other way.
"The great Atonement was the supreme act of forgiveness. . . . It is through (Christ) that we gain forgiveness. It is through him that there comes the certain promise that all mankind will be granted the blessings of salvation, with resurrection from the dead. It is through him and his great over-arching sacrifice that we are offered the opportunity, through obedience, of exaltation and eternal life."
President Hinckley quoted from a column written by Deseret Morning News editorial page editor Jay Evensen that detailed how a crime victim was able to forgive her assailant. (Jay Evensen: Forgiveness has power to change future.)
