These are the ideas for today’s review: W-46–W-50
1. W-46 “God is the Love in which I forgive.”
²God does not forgive because He has never condemned.
³Those who are guiltless cannot blame, and those who have accepted their innocence see nothing to forgive.
⁴Yet forgiveness is the means by which I will recognize my innocence. I
⁵It is the reflection of God’s Love on earth.
⁶Forgiveness brings me so close to Heaven that God’s Love can reach down to me and raise me to my home.
2. W-47 “God is the Strength in which I trust.”
²It is not through my own strength that I forgive.
³It is through the strength of God in me, which I remember as I forgive. II
⁴As I begin to see, I recognize His reflection on earth.
⁵I forgive all things, because I feel the strength of God arise in me.
⁶And I begin to remember the Love I chose to forget, but Which has not forgotten me.
3. W-48 “There is nothing to fear.”
²How safe the world will look to me when I can see it!
³It will not look anything like what I imagine I see now.
⁴Everyone and everything I see will lean toward me to bless me.
⁵I will recognize in everyone my dearest Friend.
⁶What could there be to fear in a world that I have forgiven, and that has forgiven me? III
4. W-49 “God’s Voice speaks to me all through the day.”
²There is not a moment in which God’s Voice ceases to call on my forgiveness to save me.
³There is not a moment in which His Voice fails to direct my thoughts, guide my actions and lead my feet. IV
⁴I am walking steadily on toward truth.
⁵There is nowhere else I can go, because God’s Voice is the only voice and the only guide that has been given to His Son.
5. W-50 “I am sustained by the Love of God.”
²As I listen to God’s Voice, I am sustained by His Love.
³As I open my eyes, His Love lights up the world for me to see.
⁴As I forgive, His Love reminds me that His Son is sinless.
⁵And as I look upon the world with the vision He has given me, I remember who I am. V
I This is a very simple and perfectly accessible idea, for it is easy to experience; it works in every circumstance without exception. Whenever you truly forgive, your heart leaps with joy, freeing itself from a heavy burden and rising light and happy. This always happens, without possibility of exception. If you truly forgive, your heart will confirm with certainty that this profoundly benefits your soul.
Attention! The opposite is also true. Whenever you feel bad, when your heart is heavy and cries out in pain, it is because you are thinking something that is not true and you are harming yourself. Your heart is a sure guide to truth. Listen to it. Pay attention to your emotional states, for they are there precisely to show you how you are using your mind. Do not ignore their warnings. Always choose to be happy. And when you feel bad, when your heart alerts you, remember that what you were thinking must be false; seek a new way of seeing it and correct your mind.
Awareness of your emotions and healthy mental vigilance are indispensable requirements for navigating safely through a world of illusions. Use these resources well, for they will literally save your life.
II These two lines are fundamental because they reveal the key to true forgiveness. You are the one who decides to forgive; that is your choice and your role in the process. Yet forgiveness is carried out through the Strength of God in you.
You cannot forgive on your own, which is logical, for you were the one who condemned. Now you are the one who has chosen forgiveness, who has made a new decision and chosen to free yourself from condemnation. But forgiveness becomes effective through the Strength of God in you, which is infallible.
Therefore, there is no justification for saying “I cannot forgive.” Be honest with yourself and admit, in any case, “I do not want to forgive,” for the only thing required of you in this process is your willingness, nothing more. Once you are willing, the Strength of God will take care of the rest, freeing you from resentment and restoring your peace.
When Jesus mentions here “your own strength,” he refers to that which you ascribe to yourself, the strength of your ego. In reality, your true and only strength is the Strength of God, for He gave you His Own Strength when He created you. You possess no other strength than that, for the one you now think you have belongs to the realm of illusions and exists only in your imagination.
Whenever you think of some quality you assign to yourself, one that can be measured or compared with that of others, realize that you are speaking of your ego, and that what you are thinking of is not real. All those qualities or virtues you perceive in yourself or in others are but your own imaginings; they have no reality. You may speak of exalted qualities you behold with satisfaction, even striving to cultivate them to be more humble, generous, trusting, brave, kind, courteous, or whatever it may be; it does not matter. All of this is imaginary and refers to characteristics of your ego.
And there is nothing wrong with it. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a better person. But notice a small detail: you are not a person, nor will you ever be; you are the Son of God, and you are perfect exactly as you are right now. You do not need to improve; you only need to recognize your rightful glory.
To follow faithfully what this Course proposes may seem to make you a better person, more loving and less critical, but that is because this Course operates within the realm of illusion. Remember G-1.3:1: “This Course operates within the ego’s domain, for that is where it is needed.”
You, Son of God, do not need to improve; you were created perfect… and you remain so in Reality. In truth, the only thing you need is to stop taking seriously that absurd idea that you are separated from your Father. It is not true, and moreover, it harms you; it does you injury.
Notice all the ideas you review today: they are simply statements of the condition of your true identity. They speak of characteristics of different aspects of your own Self, but contemplated from the perspective of illusion. All this is part of your mind training, of the purification of that “lower part” of the mind in which you believe you live, and which will enable you to access miracles. Remember Principle 7 of miracles: “Everyone is entitled to miracles. But before this comes purification.” This purification occurs when these ideas become your habitual way of thinking.
III The result of true forgiveness is the total acceptance of that which you have forgiven. When you truly forgive, you offer unreserved acceptance, and there is no greater power in this world than full acceptance, because there is no deeper yearning in the human heart.
No one can resist your acceptance, for that is precisely what all seek from others and from themselves. In genuine acceptance, fear has no place. That is why, in a forgiven world, there is nothing to fear, for acceptance dissolves all judgment and all fear, revealing the peace that has always been present.
IV Luke 1:79 “To shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
The Voice of God speaks to me all through the day; this is true, but do I listen? Or is it, rather, that my mind is absorbed in the incessant inner monologue, in the ego’s voice?
To hear the Voice of God, it is necessary to quiet the mind. Only in inner silence can His guidance be perceived.
Remember how Jesus reformulates the biblical quotation: “Many are called, but few are chosen.” In reality, it should say: “All are called, but few choose to listen” (T-3.VIII.19:2).
V We conclude today’s Lesson with this beautiful thought, echo of the ancient biblical psalms:
In the stillness of my heart, I recognize Your Presence.
In the light of Your Love, I find my true Self.
No darkness can conceal Your Glory, nor illusion cloud my vision.
You are my strength, my refuge, and my peace.
In You, all fear dissolves, and only the certainty of Your eternal Love remains.
Today I choose to remember who I am in You, and rest in the safety of Your Perfect Creation.
Amen.
This prayer, inspired by the depth and rhythm of the psalms, invites us to connect with the divine essence that dwells within us, reminding us that beyond the illusions of the ego, our true identity is eternal and perfect in God.