Thirty - Second Week of
Beautiful Ordinary Time
Monday's Healing Moment
“Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Things that cause sin will inevitably occur…’ “
“..If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him…”
~ Luke 17:1-6.
Jesus begins by stating the obvious about human nature, saying to His disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur…” meaning of course, there will be hurts, betrayals, untruths, and all kinds of things happening in our daily life that will be cause for pain and present ‘opportunities’ to forgive.
First, we need to admit our powerlessness over anger and hurt, asking for God’s help to forgive. In Saint Paul’s letter to Titus, Paul writes some of the ingredients of a good steward of God. If we want the Lord “to increase our faith” we must have “faith the size of a mustard seed…” and each day water and nurture with prayer and support the tiny seeds of God love so that our faith will grow.
To be good stewards of God we cannot “cause others to sin”, or be unforgiving, “arrogant, irritable, drunk, aggressive, greedy”…but instead be “hospitable, a lover of goodness, temperate, just, holy, and self-controlled.” So it is within the ordinary moments of life; forgiveness when “the things that cause sin inevitably occur”, mercy when someone says, ‘I am sorry’, discovering God’s mercy and compassion by admitting my own need of mercy.
There is simply no other way to live in any kind of harmony. We cannot live together in harmony, in family, friendship, marriage or any other kind of community, without the reciprocal practice of forgiveness and mercy every day.
~ debra.
Readings
Wisdom 1:1-7 • Psalms 139:1-3, 4-6, 7-8, 9-10 • Luke 17:1-6
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