It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.

This line is widely circulated under the name of Saint Francis of Assisi, but it is best understood in the context of the modern “Prayer of Saint Francis” (“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace”). That prayer is not medieval: it first appears in French in the early 20th century and was later popularized in English-language devotional use, especially during and after World War I. The clause “it is in pardoning that we are pardoned” reflects a Christian ethical theme—mercy received through mercy shown—but it is not securely traceable to Francis’s authenticated writings from the 13th century.

The sentence expresses a paradox central to Christian moral teaching: forgiveness is not merely a gift one grants to others but a spiritual practice that reshapes the forgiver. “We are pardoned” can be read theologically (divine forgiveness is linked to our willingness to forgive) and psychologically (releasing resentment frees the self). The line implies reciprocity: pardon restores relationship and breaks cycles of injury, making the forgiver receptive to grace, reconciliation, and inner peace. Its enduring appeal lies in turning forgiveness from a passive hope into an active discipline with transformative consequences.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

1) "It is in forgiving that we are forgiven."
2) "For it is in pardoning that we are pardoned."