Hello. I hope this finds you all well.
Our Gospel today speaks to us about something we all find very difficult to do. That is to FORGIVE another.
Depending on the fault we have committed, those two simple words “I sorry” always seem so hard to say. But we know that forgiveness is something we all are in need of, and need to extend to another who may have wronged us.
A number of years ago when I was teaching high school we were discussing the concept of forgiveness. I had read an article about Pope John Paul II. The article spoke of how after his recovery from being shot, the pope went to the prison and visited with the man who had shot him. After some time, the Pope gave the man a blessing and embraced him before he left.
In the article, the author who was a professor of theology at New Your School of Theology said that not to forgive is like being stuck in the mud. The harder you try, your wheels just continue to spin and you get nowhere.
So often, we feel that not to forgive is to have control over the other person. But this concept could not be further from the truth. In all reality we are the one who is under the control of the other person. This is especially true if we do not accept the forgiveness of another.
No matter the weight of the act, or the number of times the act has been committed, we all are in need of forgiveness. The act of offering forgiveness and the act of accepting forgiveness is all a part of life.
The author Thomas Fuller once wrote, “He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven. “
I remember when I was studying in Israel, a friend of mine said, that if you do not forgive you will never be able to truly say the “Our Father” prayer again. That one statement has stayed with me all this years. It is SO true.
Peter asks the Lord, “How many time, seven time?” The Lord responds, “No, seventy – seven times.” In other words, as many times as it necessary to forgive your sister or brother.
Truly,. this Gospel gives us much to ponder on during this up and come week.
Have a blessed and safe week, let us pray for each other that those little words “I’m sorry” will be able to pass our lips but more importantly that they come from our heart.
Peace and All Good,
Fr. Vinnie, osf and the Bros and Srs of the Franciscan House of Prayer.
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