Of Faith and Forgiveness

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/111212.cfm) reminds me of the relationship of faith and forgiveness

Isn’t it ironic that the one who hurt you is the same person who can take what pain away?

This is one of the quotes that I remember reading, back in the days when texting was free and people sent quotes to everyone. When you love, you open up yourself to someone, and with that, come the fact that you’ll get hurt. The more you love the person, the closer the person to you, the deeper you can get hurt. This is not just for romantic love, but relationships in general. Our closest friends and family members give us great joy, but at the same time, can hurt us the most.

The more we are hurt, the harder it is to forgive. Jesus knows that, that’s why a lot of times, he taught the disciples the importance of forgiving, both in his actions towards others, and in his words, as in the gospel. We know that Jesus is serious when he says that we should forgive seven times a day! What kind of person would hurt you and ask for forgiveness seven times in a day? Hopefully no one in our lives, but nevertheless, Jesus asks us to do just that… and he walks the talk. Probably we don’t know anyone who can hurt us seven times a day, but we ourselves are hurting Jesus more than that. Everytime we sin, everytime we think of something bad, everytime we refuse to help others, we hurt him… and he is ready to forgive us.

What about faith? It is easier to forgive if you know you have been forgiven. It is easier to forgive when you know the person will change. This is faith – knowing that God has been forgiving us all our lives, and trusting that our forgiveness, through God’s grace, will change the person as they feel and realize God’s love is infinite, thus will be moved to conversion. This is faith that moves us into forgiveness. This is faith that is alive, because we know that faith without actions is dead.

When was the last time I got hurt? Who was the last person who hurt me the most? Have I forgiven the person, regardless of whether or not the person asked for forgiveness? What makes it hard for me to forgive? Do I have faith that my forgiveness will bring God’s love more alive in that person? Do I have faith and am thankful because I myself am not perfect, and God has been forgiving me all my life?

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for the weekend. Thank you for the blessings and challenges I experienced last weekend. Lord, as I start another week, I ask that you remind me how blessed I am. Thank you for always being there to love and accept me, despite of my shortcomings. Thank you for always being there to forgive me, even if I hurt you everyday. Help me Lord to be as forgiving as you are, as I pass on your love to others in my life. Help me also to do my best not to hurt you and others as I receive forgiveness. Amen.

Blessed week!

In Christ,

-g-