Think what grace can do for you - If you allow it too?

Today at Holy Mass we are given good advice about something that plagues us all - Anger…It is very natural to feel spontaneous anger…It simply makes us human…However, to allow anger to ferment - To “feed into it” - To dwell on it….This behavior is the enemy of our soul - It “chases” God away from us….In the first reading today from the Prophet Sirach. - We are given good advice…Do we “hear” it? - Maybe better put - Do we allow the Holy Spirit “into the places” where we allow anger to ferment into our lives?

“Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD? Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins? If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins? Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin! Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults”

Not harboring anger does not “fix” others or the situation…It simply gives the situation over to God….That is a healthy practice that only the humble can do….Pride prevents us from doing this because “WE” want to fix it…And frankly, WE can not…We cannot control other people and many things in life are beyond our grasp…Having the ability to recognize those situations and “give them over to God” - Not only is a healthy practice but an effective one……As Catholics, we must know our limits…God is God - WE are not….We can do “everything right” but the devil knows our weaknesses…And anger is one of mine…..If I do not watch it, even “righteous anger” over an injustice can turn into sinful anger….Notice what the Prophet Sirach said…..”your neighbors injustice” and “overlook faults”…Sirach is not saying what we “see” is good…In fact he is calling it out - However, what Sirach is saying is - Remember, WE are sinners too….That justice belongs to the Lord - Not to us…Its very easy to see our neighbors faults - Its much harder to see our own - Even harder than that - To address our own faults - That requires the Holy Spirit and Sacramental grace……All the “outrage” we see on social media….Is God found in it?….God sees the sin of others MUCH clearer then we do…..Let God be God….He will address what needs to be addressed in his way and in His time…In the mean time - Do not allow your anger to cause you to sin……Let it pass and trust all things will be “settled” in relation to God’s law….In God’s way and in God’s time

“I give you a new commandment, says the Lord: love one another as I have loved you”

To forgive is divine…..God is not asking us to not be human - He is asking us to live by His grace…..The idea behind forgiving our neighbor is to “win our neighbor over”…..That is the hidden power of forgiveness….To forgive does not “fix” the problem - or for that matter “fix” our neighbor…What it does do is allow our neighbor “see” himself clearly for a short instant….We do not “see” ourself as God sees us…..That in and of itself is a mercy because if we did “see” our sins as God sees them, we would probably drop dead on the spot , in reaction to just how pure God is….When your neighbor commits an injustice or sins - Say a prayer asking God for them to see themselves as God sees them….This is how people change…Not by ranting like a lunatic….Sadly, that is my method of addressing such matters, more times then I want to admit….So pray for me…….Think for a moment of Our Lady…She stood at the foot of the Cross…Who had more of a right to rant at the injustice of Jesus being crucified then Mary did?…Yet, she remained silent…Like of Our Lord on the Cross, who suffered there for three long hours......Who had more of a right to scream out the injustice of it all!!!!!…..Jesus did nothing wrong!!!!!……Clearly we are NOT Our Lady and Jesus Christ, who were without sin…..But we are able to cooperate with Sacramental grace…..Only grace can give us the ability to “let hurts go” - To see past injustice and sin…Only grace can allow us to forgive the unforgivable…Only grace can do what no man can do…Like defeat death - Our Lord did the impossible - He defeated death!….If Jesus could do that - Think what grace can do for you - If you allow it too?…….JMJ