QUICK TO FORGIVE
Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” — Matthew 18:21
“Papa,
I left my Gameboy inside the movie theater!” my son Jason said. It had
been almost 10 minutes since we left the moviehouse. We ran back to the
theater. The next batch of moviegoers were already filing in. I was anxious we wouldn’t find his Gameboy anymore.
We
rushed to the place where we had been seated but we only saw empty
seats. My emotions were shifting from anxiety to anger when Jason said,
“Papa, please forgive me for losing my video game.”
I
didn’t know how to react. I just replied, “Don’t worry, it’s just a
toy.” Then, as if on queue, the maintenance man approached us and asked
if we were looking for a video game. He told us to proceed to their office so we could claim it.
Jesus
teaches us to forgive repeatedly because God is always willing to
forgive us. His concept of forgiveness is very different from ours. We
are choosy about who to forgive while He forgives all who return to Him.
While we take longer to pardon, God forgives immediately. God’s great
love for us will always surpass our sins, whether big or small. Alvin Fabella (alvinfabella@yahoo.com)
Reflection: When you ask God for forgiveness, do you also remember to forgive those who have offended you?
Lord, when I’m tempted to withhold forgiveness, remind me that You forgive my sins even when I don’t deserve it.
St. John Joseph of the Cross, pray for us.
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