Forgive from Your Heart August 17

“I did as I was told.” Ezekial 12:7

“Forgive…from his heart.” Matthew 18:35

Piety

Let us pray: Lord, be patient with me. Your lessons sound so easy but are so difficult. I will try to do as I am told but self gets in the way of other, the individual me gets in the way of the common good. Help me to be a model of what to do, not what to avoid. Just as you forgive even when you are nailed to the cross, help me to forgive from the comfort of my air-conditioned house, behind the wheel in my power-steering and power braking car dressed up in my best summer suit. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/081706.shtml


In today’s secular culture, we are often in a tug of war between forgive me vs. give me.

Much of our culture is about getting, not about giving. Get an education., Get a job, Get a promotion. Get a house. Get a car.

And once you have all that, get a bigger one. Bigger job. Bigger car. Bigger house. Bigger bank account. Summer cottage. Winter condo. Skis. Bikes. The lists go on and on and on and on.

Everything we hear from Jesus through St. Matthew sounds easy but is so hard to accept and practice. The Word goes into our ears but it does dwell in our hearts and minds. It does not come out in our actions. Forgive from the heart. Yes. I will do that. Ha!

The spirit is willing. However, the ego is strong. If my sister or brother wronged me, they owe me. If someone gets in my way as I climb the ladder of success, then heaven help them because no mere mortal is any match for me. They’ll see what I do back to them. First I have a task list. Call my lawyer. Call the Mayor. Call the police. Protect my rights. Write to my Congressman. Call Bill O’Reilly and Lou Dobbs and complain. Send a letter to that editor.

Forgive? Not hardly. Once? Seventy-seven times?!?!!? We are more likely to accuse someone seventy-seven times rather than forgive them that much.

The Bishop’s Pastoral on the U.S. Economy states, “Followers of Christ must avoid a tragic separation between faith and everyday life…economic life is one of the chief areas where we live out our faith [and] love our neighbor.”

So, do the poor forgive us for our wealth and for the little we share? If so, then how much more should we forgive those who have sinned against us? And how about forgiving those who have sinned in ways that do not affect us while we are at it?

Action

Who do you need to forgive? Let them know.

Who do you need to seek forgiveness from? Let them know, too.