The WORD
today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/081116.cfm)
reminds me that we should never be ungrateful and forget all God has
done for us.
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 gospel, 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. Not forgiving
others is like telling
God that we love ourselves more than we love him... That we focus
more on our hurts and pains rather than His goodness, blessings, and
commandment. Yes, it is that important.
When
reading the gospel, we may feel angry at the servant. Nakaka inis! Ang kapal ng
mukha! Walang utang na loob! After being forgiven his huge debt, he chose not
to forgive someone who owes him a much smaller amount. Ungrateful.
Inconsiderate. So many words to describe the person. But come to think of it, we are just
like that. Yes, minsan or madalas ganoon din tayo. 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. Just because we know God
readily forgives us from our sins doesn't mean our sins are negligible. Minsan hindi
natin nararamdaman na grabe na ang kasalanan natin. Sometimes we
don't recognize how much we are hurting God. So we don't feel God's great
goodness and forgiveness. Kaya hirap tayo magpatawad.
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?
May
we be aware of our sins and of God's great love and forgiveness. And may it
move us to forgive others as well.
Father God,
Thank you for
today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for the reminder. 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 that prevent me
from loving and forgiving others. 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.
Blessed
day!
In
Christ,
-g-
Ps
See
related reflections:
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August 11, 2016
Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin
Lectionary: 416
Reading 1 Ez 12:1-12
The word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house;
they have eyes to see but do not see,
and ears to hear but do not hear,
for they are a rebellious house.
Now, son of man, during the day while they are looking on,
prepare your baggage as though for exile,
and again while they are looking on,
migrate from where you live to another place;
perhaps they will see that they are a rebellious house.
You shall bring out your baggage like an exile in the daytime
while they are looking on;
in the evening, again while they are looking on,
you shall go out like one of those driven into exile;
while they look on, dig a hole in the wall and pass through it;
while they look on, shoulder the burden and set out in the darkness;
cover your face that you may not see the land,
for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.
I did as I was told.
During the day I brought out my baggage
as though it were that of an exile,
and at evening I dug a hole through the wall with my hand
and, while they looked on, set out in the darkness,
shouldering my burden.
Then, in the morning, the word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, did not the house of Israel, that rebellious house,
ask you what you were doing?
Tell them: Thus says the Lord GOD:
This oracle concerns Jerusalem
and the whole house of Israel within it.
I am a sign for you:
as I have done, so shall it be done to them;
as captives they shall go into exile.
The prince who is among them shall shoulder his burden
and set out in darkness,
going through a hole he has dug out in the wall,
and covering his face lest he be seen by anyone.
Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house;
they have eyes to see but do not see,
and ears to hear but do not hear,
for they are a rebellious house.
Now, son of man, during the day while they are looking on,
prepare your baggage as though for exile,
and again while they are looking on,
migrate from where you live to another place;
perhaps they will see that they are a rebellious house.
You shall bring out your baggage like an exile in the daytime
while they are looking on;
in the evening, again while they are looking on,
you shall go out like one of those driven into exile;
while they look on, dig a hole in the wall and pass through it;
while they look on, shoulder the burden and set out in the darkness;
cover your face that you may not see the land,
for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.
I did as I was told.
During the day I brought out my baggage
as though it were that of an exile,
and at evening I dug a hole through the wall with my hand
and, while they looked on, set out in the darkness,
shouldering my burden.
Then, in the morning, the word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, did not the house of Israel, that rebellious house,
ask you what you were doing?
Tell them: Thus says the Lord GOD:
This oracle concerns Jerusalem
and the whole house of Israel within it.
I am a sign for you:
as I have done, so shall it be done to them;
as captives they shall go into exile.
The prince who is among them shall shoulder his burden
and set out in darkness,
going through a hole he has dug out in the wall,
and covering his face lest he be seen by anyone.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 78:56-57, 58-59, 61-62
R. (see 7b) Do not forget the works of the Lord!
They tempted and rebelled against God the Most High,
and kept not his decrees.
They turned back and were faithless like their fathers;
they recoiled like a treacherous bow.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
They angered him with their high places
and with their idols roused his jealousy.
God heard and was enraged
and utterly rejected Israel.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
And he surrendered his strength into captivity,
his glory in the hands of the foe.
He abandoned his people to the sword
and was enraged against his inheritance.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
They tempted and rebelled against God the Most High,
and kept not his decrees.
They turned back and were faithless like their fathers;
they recoiled like a treacherous bow.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
They angered him with their high places
and with their idols roused his jealousy.
God heard and was enraged
and utterly rejected Israel.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
And he surrendered his strength into captivity,
his glory in the hands of the foe.
He abandoned his people to the sword
and was enraged against his inheritance.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
Alleluia Ps 119:135
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let your countenance shine upon your servant
and teach me your statutes.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed,
and went to their master and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”
When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee
and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.
Let your countenance shine upon your servant
and teach me your statutes.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mt 18:21–19:1
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed,
and went to their master and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”
When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee
and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.
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