Faith and Forgiveness

  

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/052915.cfm) reminds me how powerful and important faith and forgiveness are.

Yesterday, we saw how powerful one’s faith is, when Jesus healed Bartimaeus because of his faith. In today’s gospel, we see how powerful faith is in those who work for God.

Faith can move mountains.

God is powerful, and he can do anything. And if his child asks something, no matter how difficult it may be in worldly standards, with full faith, pure intentions and according to His plans, God will surely give it to him. In the same way that no prayer is too small or simple, no prayer is too big or difficult for God. We just have to have faith in God’s power and goodness.

However, we can only have full faith if we are right with God. We can only pray and worship him wholeheartedly if we do not have anger and sins in our hearts. That is why Jesus also tells us the importance of forgiveness.

We should forgive others, so God can also forgive us.

The Lord’s prayer goes “forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.” We need to forgive others before God can forgive us. What makes it difficult to forgive is the hurt and the pain that others caused us. And if we find it difficult to forgive because we hold on to that hurt, because we focus on ourselves – what we feel and what we went through. So real forgiveness is letting go of those. Real forgiveness is surrendering those to God. In essence, real forgiveness is loving God more than we love ourselves.  And if we already love God more than ourselves, then God can forgive us of our sins – because sin is actually us loving ourselves more than we love God.

May we see the importance of forgiveness, of having a clean heart as we pray in faith.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. thank you for another chance to love and serve you. thank you for another Friday. Lord, I thank you for your message. Thank you for reminding me of the importance of faith and of forgiveness. Help me forgive others as I ask forgiveness from you. help me love you more than I love myself. And as I so do, I know you will increase my faith and enable me to do great things for you as I serve you. amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

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May 29, 2015

Friday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 351

Reading 1 Sir 44:1, 9-13

Now will I praise those godly men,

our ancestors, each in his own time.

But of others there is no memory,

for when they ceased, they ceased.

And they are as though they had not lived,

they and their children after them.

Yet these also were godly men

whose virtues have not been forgotten;

Their wealth remains in their families,

their heritage with their descendants;

Through God’s covenant with them their family endures,

their posterity, for their sake.

And for all time their progeny will endure,

their glory will never be blotted out.

Responsorial Psalm PS 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b

R. (see 4a) The Lord takes delight in his people.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Sing to the LORD a new song

of praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Israel be glad in their maker,

let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.

R. The Lord takes delight in his people.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Let them praise his name in the festive dance,

let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.

For the LORD loves his people,

and he adorns the lowly with victory.

R. The Lord takes delight in his people.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Let the faithful exult in glory;

let them sing for joy upon their couches;

Let the high praises of God be in their throats.

This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.

R. The Lord takes delight in his people.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Alleluia See Jn 15:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I chose you from the world,

to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 11:11-26

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple area.

He looked around at everything and, since it was already late,

went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

The next day as they were leaving Bethany he was hungry.

Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf,

he went over to see if he could find anything on it.

When he reached it he found nothing but leaves;

it was not the time for figs.

And he said to it in reply, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again!”

And his disciples heard it.

They came to Jerusalem,

and on entering the temple area

he began to drive out those selling and buying there.

He overturned the tables of the money changers

and the seats of those who were selling doves.

He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area.

Then he taught them saying, “Is it not written:

My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples?

But you have made it a den of thieves.”

The chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it

and were seeking a way to put him to death,

yet they feared him

because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching.

When evening came, they went out of the city.

Early in the morning, as they were walking along,

they saw the fig tree withered to its roots.

Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look!

The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”

Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God.

Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,

‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’

and does not doubt in his heart

but believes that what he says will happen,

it shall be done for him.

Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer,

believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.

When you stand to pray,

forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance,

so that your heavenly Father may in turn

forgive you your transgressions.”