TUESDAY 3RD WEEK
Christina Fendrick C ‘14

Offering Forgiveness

“So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.” Matthew 18: 35

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says we must forgive those who have sinned against us. This is a basic rule that many of our parents taught us at a very young age. At first, it is easy: your brother will not share a toy with you, he says sorry (after being told by mom), and then you forgive him. But as we get older, if someone does something that deeply hurts us, it can be difficult to move past it. Sometimes it is hard to feel as though they deserve compassion and understanding after what they have done.

Yet, in this passage, we are reminded that God is always ready to forgive us. God loves us unconditionally and when we turn against Him it breaks His heart, yet He still is always there for us. Every time we hurt Him by choosing sin instead of His love, He will not only forgive and continue to love us, but He puts our sins completely in the past. Our hearts yearn for this forgiveness, and without it we would be empty.

In our everyday life, we should try to show others the whole-hearted forgiveness that Christ has shown us. None of us are perfect; forgive others like you would want them to forgive you. Jesus wants us to forgive and forget and love those around us. In doing this, we will not only help others grow in grace, but we will help ourselves, as well. In forgiving others, we will find peace and be able to be a better example of Christ.

Dear Christ, please help me to have the strength and the patience to forgive those who have hurt me. Thank you for your continuous forgiveness and love. Amen.

Dn 3: 25, 34-43, Ps 25: 4bc-5ab, Mt 18: 21-35