Monday 11 November
Luke 17, 1-6:
“If your brother offends you, rebuke him; if he repents, forgive him; if he offends you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say “I’m sorry”, you will forgive him.”
“If your brother offends you seven times in a day, you will forgive him.” In the Bible, seven times means always.
If it is already hard for us to forgive once, how much more will it cost us to forgive always!
We need to be open to the generosity that comes from faith in the mercy of the Father to forgive from the depths of the heart.
Never say “I forgive but I do not forget”.
God does not forgive by erasing what was written or tearing up the papers; but forgives by always burning and destroying sin.
We can never allow rancor or the absence of forgiveness to take over our life. When this happens, we live with a woodworm inside of us that prevents us from being happy. When we open our hearts to the understanding, the acceptance and forgiveness, the joy of the Gospel of Jesus is reborn within us. We experience the generosity of his mercy and we see that the paths of our relationships with others are filled with joy.
May the day and the week that is starting be very happy for you, always forgiving “seventy times seven” your sisters and brothers.
Good day.
Antonio Maria Sanjuan Marin, cmf
