24 Sunday, Cycle A

Christians, in this week we have a theme which very difficult to talk about. It is about Forgiveness. We all love to be forgiven, but to forgive other is a very different story. Listen the book of Sirach describes it: “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight.” Is this truthful? yes, it is. We like to hug them tight our anger, we hang on it. Sirach goes: “The vengeful will suffer the Lord’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins. Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.” Here is a correlation between God and us. God forgive us and we forgive others. The Gospel story is about how a man has been forgiven for many debts, yet he strangles to forgive those who are under him who own most less.
 
How can we find logic for the need to forgive to other? The key of this, we find it in our second reading, a little passage for Saint Paul to the Romans, listen what St. Paul speaks: “None of us live for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. This is the main point about our spiritual life, which is: “our life is not about us.” Your life is yours, yes! But it is not about you. You belong to God, we belong to HIM. Whether you live or died, you live or die for the LORD. We love to think: “this is about me, my dreams, my plans, my life.” Finally, it is GOD’s plans for us. God’s desire for us. God’s project for us. Our existent, our totality, is for GOD, that is who we are.
This main point has been very clear to Saints. It about God. Friends, when we get this main point, then, we find the capacity for forgive.
 
How often we forgive… Jesus says: Always, always, always. Even it has been a great injustice? Yes! Even it was supremely unfair what they did to you? Yes!!!! Our life is not about us, and injustice is a great opportunity to increase our grace. So, we are call to forgive, those who harms us.
 
How can we become better forgiver? Let us review four suggestions that will hep to be a better forgiver.
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1. Keep your own sin in from of you. That way, if you think you deserve to be forgiven; then you will be able to forgive others. We are very good to keep sins of other in our mind. Be honest: How often you sit down at the end of the day, and you recall all those who hurt you and all the ways you have been offended? If this is difficult for you; Just say the Our Father Prayer. “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. There is a correlation there, it is not just accidental, we beg for the Lord forgiveness, in the measure that we become forgiver for those around us. calling into your mind your own sins, then you will find easier to forgive those who have sinned against you.

 

1. Go to confession. it is a great gift the way of forgiveness. Use it, for your own sake. God’s Mercy is in those boxes, those rooms. Use it frequently.  Seeking the Lord forgiveness and admitting our sinfulness, is a great way to be a forgiver.
   

 

1. Forgive offenses quickly, be bible says: “do not allow the Sun goes down in your angry.” Do not allow that resentment sinking your soul. People can hold resentments for days, weeks and months, years, decades, they became so deeply in your soul that it is impossible to forgive. Do not allow that to happened to you. Forgive quickly, when someone hurt you. Reconcile quickly. Do not allow the devil work on you. For-give. Give yourself a gift to be free.

 

1. When you forgive, Mean it!. It is not just a mental process of forgiveness. Mean it. With a phone call. With a visit. Do something. Let people know that you forgive them.

 
Forgive others, because we have been forgiven.