“FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US” (Matt 6:12)

⏰Thursday of the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time 2 (21 June 2018 – Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga)

📖Sir 48:1-14; Ps 97:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7 (R.v.12a); Matt 6:7-15

St. Aloysius Gonzaga, whose memorial we celebrate today, died at the age of 23. He was known for his outstanding life of holiness, marked by piety, selflessness and simplicity. He was a man of prayer. Prayer is a communication between God and man. With prayer man presents his petition before God and hope that God hears and answer him.

With the above in mind, I wonder how many of us who do listen to ourselves when we say the Lord’s Prayer. Yet, that is part of the reason why Jesus tells us not to use many words in the manner of the Gentiles. It is so that we could meditate on what we are telling God because what we tell him is mostly what he does for us.

Now, the danger of saying that prayer is that we tell God to forgive us the same way we forgive others. How many of us really forgive others? Even Jesus interpreted it himself, if we forgive others, we will be forgiven but if we do not forgive others, our heavenly Father will not forgive us (Matt 6:14-15).

So let us think now, is there anyone we have put on the reserved list of those that CANNOT BE FORGIVEN. We may be doing ourselves harm through that. Forgiveness is not an easy thing but we can ask Jesus himself for the grace to be able to forgive always as he always do.

May that desired grace always follow you to assist you all your days. Amen.

Have a wonderful and gracefilled day ahead. Amen. Peace be with you.