Monday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time(Click here for readings)
Jesus said to his disciples, "Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur...Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him."
Are you battling with a temptation right now? Join the club!
I find it disgusting how temptations can just creep into one's day, even early in the morning!
What are temptations? They are seductions, personalized invitations to bad choices. They are the markers in life that point to heaven but always lead to hell. They are shortcuts that always cut short our holiness.
But temptations are not all bad. They can actually help us to know ourselves better. It may be hard for any of us to admit it to ourselves, but our personal temptations really help identify what we truly love and what we are most attracted to. Sorry.
Temptations are a part of life and they can occur at any moment in our lives, but they seem to occur most often at the most inconvenient moments in our lives; that is, when we are just starting off on the right path to holiness. Ugh!
Be on your guard! Did you notice this? It comes from the Lord! Let's read it again: "Be on your guard!" In other words, don't take holiness for granted. Never say, "Oh, this could never happen to me!" How foolish! How naïve! Be on your guard at all times, for when you least expect it, the devil will strike and hurl the right size temptation right at you.
Forgive seven times in one day. For this reason the Lord tells his Apostles, "If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him." The game of life is not a blame game. It's a forgive game. The more you forgive, the more you will be forgiven.
Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Rebuking is okay. Telling someone the truth is okay. But instead of doing it to hurt them, do it to help them. Wow, what a concept!
Lord, increase our faith. It all boils down to faith. How strong is your faith? Faith is the generator to good living. Lord, increase our faith.
Thank you Father- the temptation & snares of holding on to this burden of not forgiving is much to carry. For those who have shouldered much in not forgiving please take heart..if just one who reads this meditation can be liberated from this bondage and snare of unforgiveness then praise God one will be free! When we step out in faith we can experience great weights lifted so that we might be able to go out in peace and joy encouraging others to do the same. We , baptized all have access to superpower graces- we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do truly unbelievable things. Satan wants us to believe someone is undeserving of our forgiveness. But, this is the father of lies trick that he wants us to be fooled by -for it is not about the other it's about what God wants for us- to be free of the burden. Our Father awaits us to be empowered by the sacraments to go beyond what we think is possible as humans.. To go beyond our hurts and pain - to release them. God asks us to FORGIVE , he does not expect us to FORGET...he knows our sufferings, misunderstandings our pain.... ( the passion)..
ReplyDeleteGod is love itself and in his incredible love for me and you he desires so much for us his children to be free from all that separates us from the joy and peace that he so desires for us his children.
Coming from personal experience I had while being challenged to forgive someone who many witnessed attacking me with wrongful accusations and thrusting years of hurt upon me : - go before the blessed sacrament & just be...bring your weighted down soul to Our Lord and yolk your heavy burden to him. Trust in him... Call on Mary's intercession. She who watched her son beaten, spat on, mistreated, misunderstood and murdered ... She knows forgiveness. Thank goodness we never forget in our forgiveness as to remember is our testimony for others to take hope. Today with your forgiveness allow what God is waiting to do for you to be the hope for someone else in their disparity so that they too can be encouraged to release their attached heavy burden of unforgiving that keeps them from the joy and peace that awaits them. God be with all of you!