“Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew, Jesus teaches his friends about forgiveness……God is always ready to forgive us - Like any good father….But here is the “catch”…We must ask for that forgiveness….Do we take for granted that God will forgive us?…..Allow me to illustrate an example - If you were to take the money to pay the monthly rent and used it to go away with your friends for a weekend without your family…Don’t you think you owe your wife and children an apology?…And say you did not apologize - How would that impact your relationship with your wife?…..When we sin, we MUST reconcile with God…We do that through the Sacrament of Confession…But what about when someone continues to wrong you?….Or someone who is clearly doing what is wrong and impacting your community…How are we to treat such a person?….Clearly God did not create us to be “door-mates”, so one must keep a distance from a person who wants do them harm - But that does not mean we cannot pray for that person……How does a Catholic live learn to forgive the unforgivable?….In a word - GRACE!…..We CANNOT forgive as God forgives without grace….And when you can see Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament - You surely will be able to see him in your neighbor - Even in your enemy!……When a Catholic makes it a practice to go to Confession frequently, that person understands just how good God is - How he forgives us each time we ask him too…Once we experience this kind of forgiveness from God - Its much easier to forgive others….We cannot give away what we do not have!

“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”

Some people believe that “time heals old wounds”…Well, for some wounds, that is not the case…If we have a “moral wound” and do not get it addressed by a doctor, there is a strong likelihood that we will die!…..Let’s be honest - Life is not always fair and some people endure horrific tragedies in life…How can someone overcome these catastrophic events?….In a word - GRACE!….As human beings we are limited - Even the best of us is limited - But God is UNLIMITED!….Only by God’s grace can a person forgive another person who has severely harmed him…Do you believe in Grace? - Have you experienced Grace?……….My wife comes from a big family…She is one of twelve children…Sadly, her father was not a very good husband and father…He was married numerous times and had children out of wedlock…..With that said, I always marvel at how my wife gets along with her step-sisters…..She loves them just as if her Dad did not father these children outside of his marriage with my mother-in-law….I came from a very different family background…My parents were happily married for fifty-two years…..So I could NEVER fully grasp how my wife could love her step sisters the way she does….Like nothing happened!!!!…..Maybe I can not understand this because I did not “go through it” as my wife did…But maybe the “miracle” of my wife’s family is due to my wife surrendering her hurts to God because of the actions of her father……My wife found Christ in a deep and abiding way and because she found him - She learned to forgive and heal……God is good - His mercy is endless….What we cannot do - God can do in and through us!

“Let your countenance shine upon your servant and teach me your statutes”

Today we are told by Jesus that forgiving others is not an option…But how do we do it?……An old saying tells us….”To forgive is divine”……I believe the mistake people make when they attempt to forgive other is - They try to do it without God….For some “hurts” in life - That is impossible!……Sometimes we have to give to God our wounds caused by others….Its not within “our power” to heal from these wounds or for that matter forgive those who harmed us….Its only by and through grace that we can overcome such “hurts” and in turn forgive those who were responsible for hurting us….I shared in this reflection how my wife, who came from a very difficult childhood overcame bitterness and learned to forgive…..I do not want to speak for her - But if I was to ask her how she did it - My “bet” is - She would tell me it was by and through God’s grace…..For nothing is impossible for God!!!…To this day I admire my wife’s family - Why? - They overcame heart-ache and pain only because they all learned to forgive….Many times in life - Its through our “wounds” that the “light” enters…God knows that he is doing!…..“Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan”…..JMJ