TUESDAY MARCH 5, 2024
TUESDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT B
Daniel 3:25, 34-43
Matthew 18:21-35
BE MERCIFUL AND FORGIVE UNRESERVEDLY.
The most important aspect of human discipline during this Lenten period is to seek mercy, to learn to be merciful and show it forth in the very practical terms of forgiving hurts and accommodating other people. Mercy and forgiveness are inseparable virtues that every Christian must learn and acquire to be able to overcome hatred, resentment, anger and strife.
In the first reading, the prophet Daniel seeks God’s intervention of mercy to the predicament of the exiled people of Israel. They people because of their sins have been deprived of what keeps them unique, which are the prophets who relates to them the Oracle of the Lord, the princes who rule them and even leaders who govern them with the mind of God. Most importantly, they have been deprived of temple worship, their only means of strengthening themselves, their solace and their pride.
All these happened because of their sins. They have transgressed the commandments and done evil in the sight of God. Sin destroys our relationship with God and puts us at enmity with God. We become very weak, and our strength fails us.
But pleading for forgiveness and God’s mercy restores our relationship. And what brings about this is a contrite heart and humble spirit. When we admit our guilt and confess our sins and turn back to God with the resolve to amend our ways, the Mercy and compassion of God grants forgiveness to our sins and restores us back to relationship with God.
This is the character of God and which gives man second chance and helps to build up good relationship with our God. So mercy, compassion and forgiveness become great virtues to emulate as human beings living together.
And Jesus urges same for us human beings in our inter personal relationships with one another. The only ingredient to build a loving, united and prosperous human society is to develop a merciful heart, that forgives hurts, accommodates all and let’s go of hurts and sins.
In today’s gospel, Peter inquires to know how many times one can forgives or show mercy. Jesus answers with a parable indicating that forgiveness granted to others must flow from that received fron God. So, Forgiveness has no limits, no time frame, no expiration time. It must be administered on daily basis to everyone at all times. The amount one forgives is the amount one will equally receive forgiveness.
The truth of our existence as human beings is that we must receive hurts from people. People must trample on our rights, get us annoyed, upset us and sometimes offend us beyond limits. But do we hold them accountable? No! We must let go and forgive as often as we are offended. Time heals and we must allow time to heal our emotional upsets.
We must not dwell on hurts, or heap up peoples hurts against us and continue to reminiscence on them. Rather we must let go and move on, devise ways to avoid being hurt again. But always advancing forward in life.
Remember that humanly speaking, not forgiving others breeds hatred, which in turn destroyed the human relationship, create enmity and causes breakdown of love and affection.
Instead, forgiving others creates a society of loving persons, peace will flourish and happiness will abound. No need to hold on to hurts and resentments.
The school of love and compassion teaches us to tolerate others, to accommodate all, to see in others their limitations and their inadequacies and make excuses for them as deprivation not as intentional.
Forgiveness is a must and it counts for us on the way to eternal life. Do not allow your emotions of revenge, pride and lack of forgiveness to overcome the human and divine virtues of love, compassion and mercy.
Heavenly Father, you are a merciful and compassionate God. Grant that we may learn and acquire more the virtues of mercy, compassion and forgiveness. May our lives never be filled with resentment, anger, pride and lack of forgiveness. Today grant us the spirit to free those that we have held prisoners in my heart, to forgive them all and release them through Christ our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
