A young couple was struggling in their marriage. One night the husband shouted at his wife, "I hate you! I won't take it anymore! No! No! No!" A month later he woke up because their two-year-old in the crib was crying. The husband slipped into the child's bedroom and heard him shouting, "I hate you! I won't take it anymore! No! No! No!"

The choice is ours-to forgive in the strength of God, who forgave us, or to pass along our stubborn refusal to forgive. What can happen in our homes happened in a dramatic way in history. In the year 1077 King Henry IV of Germany told Pope Gregory he had to step down and be replaced with a new pope. The pope excommunicated the king. In the dead of winter the king left his palace with his wife, Bertha, and their small son, crossed the snowy Alps, and arrived at the palace in Canossa, Italy, where the pope lived. For three days Henry kneeled in the snow waiting for forgiveness. Finally the pope pardoned him. The king returned to Germany a hero. He became a hero because he asked for and received forgiveness.

Kings and popes no longer dominate the stage of history, but we ordinary people do. Parents quarrel, teens tussle, personalities clash. We, like Pope Gregory, must forgive. Who will you forgive today?