Piety - Prayer
Jesus, In the face of the unkind and angry words, help us to give before.
When we inflict unkind and angry words, fore-give us.
When we are victims of a selfish act, help us to give before.
When we act selfishly, fore-give us.
When a greedy power play robs us of our treasure, help us to give before.
When our greed amasses more than we need, fore-give us.
When we have to do extra work because someone else is lazy, help us to give before.
When we are lazy, fore-give us.
When we do not get our fair share because someone else has squandered, consumed, or wasted it, help us to give before.
When we hoard our money, property and power at the expense of the weak, fore-give us.
When someone covets our property, help us to give before.
When we lust in our hearts and in our deeds for goods, possessions and passions that belong to others, fore-give us.
When the actions of people and institutions cause us injury, help us to give before.
When the actions and inactions individually or collectively cause injuries, fore-give us.
Go first and be reconciled. Jesus never told us that His Way is easy. As the popular song lyrics go, "He never said it would be easy. He never said it would be free. The road that leads to heaven climbs a hill called Calvary."
Jesus, we are a hurting people. And we inflict more hurt on each other daily. We are numbed into thinking that the way to be a "Survivor" is to be the last person standing…to vote everyone off the island so "the cheese stands alone!" Instead of caring for the weakest, popular culture says, "You are the weakest link. GOOD BYE!" Help us to understand that Your Way welcomes the stranger onto your island. Help us to realize that Your Way repairs relationships so we can live with each other in harmony, not hatred. Help us to live like we know that You are the Way, the Truth and the Life. Amen.
Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/031006.shtml
Forgive. Give Before. Go First.
It’s not easy to "go first" and be reconciled as we hear in today’s scriptures. To give something before we know that we will get something in return is not how our bilateral, contract-based society operates. Before I will give you something, you have to give me something. The right hand washes the left. The bribe wins the contract. In a world where justice means criminal punishment, a society driven by a federal, state, city, county and civil laws never wants to acknowledge weakness or fault first. Society demands that "the other" to give in first. The one who gives in first is the weaker. The loser. And maybe even liable in court for saying, "I was wrong."
This mentality serves us up the modern day non-apology.
• "What we have here is a problem of public perception."
• "I am sorry if my noble actions were misinterpreted by you."
• "If you feel hurt by what I did or said, then what you experienced or heard is not what I meant."
• "That was not my intention when I spoke without thinking through the impact and implications of my words."
But everyday, Christians everywhere pray to "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." By showing Christ-like love for our neighbors, seeking forgiveness and offering forgiveness, we enter into ideal relationships. When we give before we get, that paves the way to enjoy a loving relationship with the Lord.
Before we can love God, we must love our neighbors and our sisters and brothers. It’s not fair to Jesus to love him while we turn our backs on the people who are formed in His image and likeness. Today, Jesus tells us to get those relationships right before we bring our gifts to the altar.
We often hear the cry, "It’s not fair!" When we think in terms of fairness, we experience a society more concerns with litigation than with reconciliation. When people are concerned with litigation, they sue. If asbestos is causing your lung injury, you sue the asbestos maker and everyone who has anything to do with asbestos until you find deep enough pockets to recover a six- or a seven-figure settlement. When someone’s car hits you or someone you love, we file a claim with our "insurance" company to be made whole…financially. However, all the financial settlements in the world won’t and can’t undo the damage, the suffering or the injury or make relationships right. If someone you love dies of cancer from smoking, we sue the tobacco companies for cause and seek damages for pain and suffering.
Jesus doesn’t buy into that system. When people are concerned with reconciliation, they apologize and make amends before being asked. They give before. Instead, Jesus tore the curtain of that system in two with His love exhibited on the cross. In the Court of Jesus, there is only one action…forgiveness that leads to reconciliation. No waiting. No arbitration. No mediation. No litigation. Just unilateral forgiveness and undeserved reconciliation. You can’t wait for "them" to call you and apologize. You just have to forgive first. You have to give before, no matter what they do.
That’s not fair, you say? But that’s what Christian love demands. When Jesus watched as the crowd commanded Pilate to free Barabas, he didn’t stand there and cry, "It’s not fair." Instead, he prepared himself to fulfill the law and endured their cries of "Crucify him!"
When Jesus was nailed to a tree between two thieves, he didn’t call down the angels by saying "It’s not fair. You can’t do this to ME!" Those were not among the last words he spoke on Good Friday. His reaction in face of suffering that is so humiliating and painful is forgiveness. He gave before he got. Jesus forgave those who crucified him. He invited the repentant thief to heaven with him that day. As a parting gift, He gave us his mother as our own and then intervened for us and asked God to forgive us for our injustice and ignorance.
He didn’t ask for the Romans to do an Act of Contrition. He didn’t ask the Jewish people to complete an Examination of Conscience. He didn’t even ask for any Penace to be performed or prayed. He just offered his forgiveness, giving it before getting anything but pain, humiliation and death.
Why do we find forgiveness so hard for much more minor offenses?
Action:
Open up your personal address book and see how successful you have been at "Making a friend." Make a list of at least four people who you haven’t heard from in three months or more. Don’t wait for them to call you. Be a friend. Use up some of those precious unlimited minutes on your cell phone to call someone who has not heard from you in a long time. If you don’t have some free minutes for your friends, will they have any for you when you need them? If you don’t call, send a personal note…not a form letter that you send everyone…but a personal hand-written note to one person. Tell them you are praying for them. Bring a friend to Christ.
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