As Holy Week and Easter draw closer, so do forgiveness, mercy, compassion and a superabundance of grace. Dare to follow Jesus to Jerusalem, to Calvary and to the Cross. Seek to make Jesus’ way you own route.
Tag: forgiveness
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Parable of the Forgiving Father (4/1)
In yesterday’s Gospel at Mass, we heard the especially beautiful parable of Jesus that teaches God is understanding and merciful beyond measure (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32). The younger sonwho asks for his share of the inheritance represents the one who rebels from God, seeking to live apart from Him. The catastrophic physical, emotional and spiritual affects...
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More on Forgiveness (3/27)
Genuine Christians forgive others their wrongful behaviors. Jesus requires it and insists that we forgive without limit, not counting times, not expecting favors in return. Nothing we do imitates Jesus more completely as our daring willingness to forgive. Forgiveness is sincere and from the heart. It is granted to others like God pardons us. It...
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Helping Others Reach Jesus (1/18)
The Gospel of today’s Mass tells the story of Jesus healing a paralytic lowered to Jesus inside a house where He was teaching crowds who had come from many towns of Galilee and Judea (Mark 2:1-11). The inability of the four friends to reach Jesus easily did not lessen their resolve. Assuredly these obstacles would...
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Preaching Notes (Sun) September 17
The words we pray simply are astonishing. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We will not be forgiven unless we forgive. There is no clearer instruction given to us by our Blessed Lord Jesus in all the Gospels. There is no reducing the supreme importance of forgiveness. So, then,...
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On Forgiving (9/13)
The mercy we show others is the same mercy God will show us. We state as much every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” How speedily and sincerely do I forgive those who have hurt and offended me? Who must I forgive?
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True Love (9/11)
God made us in His image. Sin soils the divine likeness. It is a powerful display of love when we let others know out of genuine concern for their well-being that their attitudes and actions are trending toward disaster. So, too, are we loved when others charitably correct our faults. Indeed, this is Church as...
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FEAST: Christ the King (11/19)
Our liturgical year culminates this weekend with the feast of Christ the King. We rightly focus our attention upon the sovereign majesty of Christ Jesus as true King of the Universe. Christ’s kingship stands in stark contrast to worldly monarchs. First, the Kingdom established by Christ Jesus is not founded by force. The weapons He...
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Forgiving And Being Forgiven (10/24)
Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ (Ephesians 4:32). It’s hard to forgive. Sometimes it is really hard. We hold that God forgives us our sins. Jesus mentions forgiveness in the prayer He taught us. If we don’t forgive, we will not be forgiven. Jesus is no...
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THE POWER OF DIVINE MERCY
When we realize how much we have made Jesus suffer and feel genuine sorrow for our selfish actions and sinful choices, it becomes easier to ask for His pardon and forgiveness. In the Catholic Christian tradition we know and experience the SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION (or as it more popularly is called “Confession”) is an encounter...