Reading I: Daniel 3:24,34-43,
Psalm 24(25):4-6,7a-9,
Gospel: Mt 18:21-35 Full Readings
This is how my father I'm heaven will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother or sister from your heart.
Brethren today's readings point out the purpose of asking for forgiveness and the importance of forgiving one another.
The first Reading presents the prayer of Azaria in the midst of fire asking God to spare them and forgive all the guilt of the people not with burnt offerings of Rams and bulls but with a contrite and humbled heart. Today God desires no burnt sacrifices but a humble contrite heart, it is the Spirit that reached God than any other thing like sacrifice.
With this God will not give us utterly, he will forgive our guilt and restore peace to us. We are therefore encouraged especially in this Lent to turn back to God, with our whole heart, repent, ask for forgiveness, who knows he will forgive us and deliver us from all the bondage binding us because he is Holy and desires mercy. We ask him to make us know his ways so that we may not return to our old ways once we repent and we are forgiven for true conversion that involves a promise never to return back.
God also calls us that when we are forgiven we should also forgive others as the gospel teaches us today. This forgiveness is unlimited, we should forgive as many times as possible for it heals us most even more than the person we are forgiving. Jesus saying forgive seventy seven times means that forgive as many times as someone wrongs you. This is difficult humanly speaking, but withdrawing strength and inspiration firm God we can do it.
It also follows that if we have to be forgiven, we have also to forgive others, in fact we should always take the first initiative to ask for forgiveness, even to forgive. The parable given to us in the gospel of the servant who was forgiven more and in turn could not forgive the fellow servant who owed him a little amount can really teach us a big lesson. Once we have been shown mercy it's necessary indeed to show mercy to others, once we are forgiven we ought to give others too, otherwise we become egoistic. And if we don't forgive we shall be judged more.
From today's Gospel I would like to reflect on some aspects which stop us from forgiveness.
Firstly is egoism, From the gospel the servant who was forgiven most was very egoistic, he didn't want to lose anything of himself even after the King had let go of his through forgiving him. He showed a high sense of egoism by not forgiving his fellow servant. Most times our egoistic and individualistic tendencies come on our way to forgiveness, we think that we can manage alone, we beg mercy firm others and we don't want to show it to others, and finally block our way to them, our way to forgiveness.
Forgetting that we need each other. If only we would remember that we need each other and no one lives in isolation, we would take forgiveness seriously in order to create peace among ourselves. The forgiven servant could not think of this, that he needed a fellow servant to live in a community, to give him company, and to take together to get the daily bread. He didn't think of the other's situation otherwise he would have forgiven him. Let's think of others as what we need or desire, they also desire, if it's forgiveness, they also need to be forgiven.
There are other aspects which stop us from forgiving others.
Status. Sometimes we think a person of higher status cannot ask for forgiveness from the one lower, for instance, a father asking for forgiveness from his child, a boss from an employee, president from a citizen. When we take our status as more important than people then we are blocking our way to forgiveness. We have to remember that asking for forgiveness is not a weakness, it is an inner strength which expresses humility, maturity and care for one another. Pride. pride blocks us mostly from asking for forgiveness and forgiving too. We feel high and we think we can do anything to anyone and nothing can be done to us. Even we rejoice when we wrong someone and see them suffering. Therefore we see the need of asking forgiveness and forgiving, However, we have to remember that if we don't forgive we will not be forgiven too. Past experiences. The way we have experienced someone may stop us from forgiving him, may be because of wronging us many times and other things. However let us remember that Jesus encourages us to forgive endless times so that we shall also be forgiven endless times for we as human beings always fall short.
I would invite you to reflect in our lives on what stops us from forgiving and asking for forgiveness. Then think of the people we need to forgive and then forgive them from our hearts, let go and forget. Have we acted in some way like the unforgiving servant, let's come to God with a contrite heart, and ask for his Mercy and that he may help us show that mercy to all the people. Forgiveness is key to re-establishing relationships both with God and neighbors, let's make it a practice. Endeavor to go for confession this Lent.
Wish you all the best in this period of repentance and returning to God as well as making peace with our neighbors.
Blessed Lent
No comments:
Post a Comment