Peace Na?

Today’s WORD (see http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/081612.cfm) reminds us how important it is to forgive.

Forgive and forget. This is a very common saying, but very hard to actually do. Yes, easier said than done. So, just how important is it to forgive? Aside from today’s reading, we can look at the Lord’s prayer, the prayer that Jesus himself taught us, how important it is to forgive…

“..Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us…”

This means we should first forgive others before we ask God to forgive us. We should first give forgiveness before we receive it. Not forgiving others is like saying that we do not need and do not ask God’s forgiveness. Yes, it is that important.

We may get angry at the servant in the gospel. After being forgiven his huge debt, he chose not to forgive someone who owes him a much smaller amount. Nakakainis no?  Ungrateful. Inconsiderate. So many words to describe the person. But come to think of it, we are like that. We tend to forget that God forgave us from our sin. He sent Jesus, his only Son, to die for us to save us, because he loves us and forgave us. Tapos tayo, hindi mapatawad yung taong nagsinungaling or yung taong sinaktan ka. Yes, it’s hard to, but it’s doable, by God’s grace.

The more we hate, the more we find it hard to forgive, the more we show God we are full of ourselves. We are too focused on our feelings, on our emotions, on our hurts. We forget what great forgiveness we received from God and focus on the little hurt someone has caused us. We refuse to accept God’s love and forgiveness, and choose to hold on to whatever hurt, bitterness and pain the other person has caused us. Sino talo? Sino makulit? Sino ungrateful?

How do I feel towards forgiveness? Do I accept and acknowledge that I am a sinner and that I need God’s forgiveness? Do I confess to ask for his forgiveness? IS there someone I find really hard to forget? Why? What prevents me from letting go of my personal hurt and pain, and from accepting God’s love and forgiveness?

Father God,

I thank you for loving and forgiving me, even before I ask for it. Thank you for your great love that is always ready to forgive me. Lord, I am sorry for taking you and your love for granted, and for holding on to past hurts. I ask that you help me let go and accept your love. Fill me up and enable me to forgive, so that everything of me is from you. Amen.

Have a blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-