Do not put “limits” on the Carpenter from Nazareth….He refuses to be put in a “box”…..So maybe its time for us to “step out of that box” too?

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel, St Luke tells us about how we are to approach those who offend us…..”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”…..Everyone you talk to will say they want to “Go to Heaven”…And that makes perfect sense…However, there is a few “prerequisites” for that ask to become a reality….One of which is to offer and accept forgiveness…..Why is that?…Because we are ALL sinners and we ask God repeatedly to forgive our fallings and short comings - That is why!…”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.”…But lets be honest here, some hurts are very difficult to forgive…Many people in this world have suffered injustices and wounds that are very difficult to forgive…This is understandable and if we soley rely on our own strengthen, we will NEVER be able to forgive or heal…But with God’s grace all things are possible…I have learned over the years to “know my limits”…Know when something is “beyond my strengthen”…Be honest with your self and when you reach that point, rely solely on God’s grace…..One of the “secrets” of the interior life is…When we come to the end of our self - God begins his work in us…God is greater than any hurt, any wound and any injustice….Jesus also knows from first hand experience what it means to be treated unfairly…He has holes in his hands to prove it!

“Shine like lights in the world, as you hold on to the word of life”

The gospel of Jesus Christ turns the world on its head…The message of Jesus is written on every heart…While the “world” rejects Christ, that message is there…Its for us to reveal it by word and deed…..When a person does something wrong in many cases, they know it deep down…..By not responding in kind to wrongs, in many ways its like placing a mirror in front of that person and in doing so it gives them an opportunity to confront their mistake and hopefully correct it…Years ago at the AIDS Hospice run by the Missionaries of Charity in Lower Manhattan there was a man living there named Earl…Earl was an alcoholic who lived on the streets for years…He was trying to get his life together…One day he came into the home run by Mother Teresa’s sisters drunk…I knew he was drunk but did not say anything…When it came time for dinner, the superior saw Earl and she knew he was drinking too…Earl was asked to leave the home for the night….He knew the rules…However, Sister said, “Come back tomorrow Earl and we will start again”…Earl did come back the next day and for many years after that he lived at the Hospice and his faith in God grew….All because he admitted his mistake and Sister gave him a second chance….Our God is the God of second chances!…..And if a hurt is too great for us to forgive…Acknowledge to your self that you do not have the strengthen to forgive and ask God for the grace….God has no limits…And God can do the impossible…The “impossible” begins many times when we come to the end of ourself….This is where God does his best “work”

“He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, a reward from God his savior. Such is the race that seeks for him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob”

In the Gospel today the friends of Jesus ask for something…........”And the Apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you”…......Some times to forgive is beyond our strength…And that is ok to admit…We are only human…However, God can do the impossible… Jesus is very clear in the gospel today…..”If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you”…..Do not put “limits” on the Carpenter from Nazareth….He refuses to be put in a “box”…..So maybe its time for us to “step out of that box” too?