"Be reconciled with God." Paul's urgent call to the Corinthians can serve as a reminder of the meaning of Ash Wednesday and Lent. In the Bible, there are many different expressions to describe the great work that God has done for us in the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah. Words like "justification", "salvation" and "recreation" are frequently used. Among the different expressions, "reconciliation" is an important one.

For centuries, "forgiveness" was only spoken of in a religious context. In the last ten years or so, however, psychologists have realized that forgiveness does not only belong to the sphere of religion and theology. While forgiveness is certainly a divine activity, it should also play a part in all human relationships, even when it is not religiously motivated. To some people this may seem to devalue the notion of forgiveness, but in reality exploring the psychological dimensions of forgiveness is also of great value for deepening our religious and theological awareness of what forgiveness is and is not. Studies have shown that forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation and that reconciliation is a further pre-eminent step beyond forgiveness.