If we harm someone intentionally, we need to ask that person for forgiveness. But in trying to clear up harms and possible harms, we often find ourselves powerless. Sometimes, I give advice that I think will be quite fruitful, only to realize at 3:00 in the morning that I might have really blown it. At such times, when I pray this prayer with confidence and trust, I can sense the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of the people I might have harmed. My confidence is often confirmed when the “victim” comes up to me days later and says, “Fr. Spitzer, when you said X I really took it the wrong way. But the next day I woke up and got a very different insight into what you meant.” … from the 7th of Robert Spitzer’s “Short, Spontaneous Prayersthat Really Work”.
Audio of Fr. Spitzer discussing forgiveness …