Thursday, June 16, 2016

Matthew 6: 7-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This is how you are to pray:

‘Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.’

“If you forgive others their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

This is the most dangerous prayer a Christian can ever say, yet, how many actually hear the petitions they are presenting to the Lord? We are asking the Lord to do his will on this earth and not ours. We are telling the Lord that we trust him to provide us with what we need to get through the day. We ask him not to test our faith for we shall surely fail in the way Peter did. Most importantly, we are telling the Lord to only forgive us in the same way that we forgive others.

I don’t want the Lord to forgive me in the way I forgive others. I want the Lord to forgive me despite how I forgive others. I want to hold grudges. I want to be angry. I want to hold hate in my heart. I definitely do not want to forgive anyone who has hurt me. To forgive them would allow the healing to start in me. I don’t want to heal. I don’t want to let go. I want justice. I want what is due me. I want others to suffer for what they have done. But Lord, please don’t hold me to that standard. If you demanded justice for the wrongs I have committed against you I warrant eternal damnation. I want you to love me and make me whole.

Mercy will be received in the same measure it is given. If I want God’s mercy in his fullest I have to give mercy in mine. I have to let go the hate. I cannot hold a grudge. I cannot demand justice from anyone who has injured me. I have to forgive. I have to love.

This seems like such a tall order, an impossible task. Yet, once we learn how to forgive we find exactly how liberating it really is. The ex-wife who hates the ex-husband because of his infidelity is always upset because he is a constant reminder of the pain he put her through. She wants revenge. She wants him to suffer as she had. She is the one filled with hate. He has control over her and he doesn’t have to do anything more than exist. Hate is a poison that destroys the soul. Love is the antidote. Once she learns to forgive, let go of the pain, he loses all control he has over her. Once she can turn hate into love, into genuinely wishing the best for him, she will become liberated. This is why learning to forgive is such an important thing to do.

And once we can forgive our heavenly father will do likewise and reward us with his forgiveness. He finds favor in those who love for he is love and we are called to be like him.