MONDAY 13th NOVEMBER 2023
Luke 17, 1-6
“If your brother offends you, rebuke him; if he repents, forgive him; if he offends you seven times in one day, and seven times again says to you, ‘I am sorry,’ you shall forgive him.”
If your brother or sister offends you seven times in one day, you will forgive them. Seven times, in the Bible, means “always”. If it is hard enough for us to forgive once, how much harder to forgive always!
We need to be open to the generosity that springs from faith in the Father’s mercy, so that we can forgive with all our hearts. Never to say “I forgive, but I do not forget”. God does not forgive by erasing what is written or tearing up the papers, but always forgives by burning and destroying the sin.
We can never allow resentment and unforgiveness to take over our lives. When this happens, we live with a rottenness inside that prevents us from being happy.
When we open our hearts to understanding, acceptance and forgiveness, the joy of the Gospel of Jesus is reborn in us. We experience the gratuitousness of his mercy and we see that the paths of our relationship with others are filled with joy.
May the day and the week that you are beginning be very happy for you, always forgiving your brothers and sisters up to seventy times seven.
Good day to you.
Antonio Sanjuan Cmf
