We are again in Ordinary (meaning ordered, in order) Time. We will remain in Ordinary Time until Advent. The predominant color of the liturgical environment will be green. The Priest’s vestments will be green. Green is the color that represents life, life eternal, and hope.
Our readings this Sunday focus on God’s forgiveness. It is always very important the remember that God is forgiving and anyone who has done wrong can seek God through Jesus, ask forgiveness and be forgiven. God has always wanted to forgive. He has created ways for us to avoid sin (the ten commandments) and ways to seek His forgiveness when we fail to avoid sin (sacrifice – The ultimate and final sacrifice for sin being Christ Jesus). God shows His love for us by forgiveness and as a result we love Him. Practicing forgiveness in our daily lives will enable us to love, and be loved, more easily. Love forgives, and the forgiven are freed to love.
The more we are forgiven, the more we love. The Gospel story from Luke is a fantastic example of a woman forgiven of much sin who then loves great! She is the woman of sinful nature who comes to Jesus at the house of the Pharisee Simon and washes Jesus’ feet with her tears, dries them with her hair and anoints Jesus’ feet with perfumed oil. Jesus tells Simon, “I tell you that all of her sins have been forgiven and you see how much she loves! But people who are forgiven only a little will only love a little.”
God will never stop forgiving us through Jesus. Just like any father or mother God’s forgiveness is always there because He loves us, His children, so much. It is His desire to forgive so that we are not troubled by our sins and in any way kept from loving freely and forgiving freely ourselves. When we seek forgiveness from one another we increase the love between us. It is a rare individual who cannot forgive when forgiveness is petitioned by a penitent heart! Even if someone does not seek our forgiveness we need to forgive them truly and from our hearts so that the wrong committed does not turn us to hate instead of love. Hate is a feeling that can hurt the one who hates more than the one who is hated. It is an emotion that eats away at you on the inside. It is best not to get in the habit of carrying that harmful emotion around inside us…release it through forgiveness. Forgiveness does not mean that you agree or accept someone’s behavior but, rather, that you recognize our human weakness and do not wish to hold a behavior against someone forever but forgive them so that we and they may be freed from the sin and go forward to be better and more loving persons. Even if the person does not know that you forgive them, you know and God knows and you will treat that person with kindness and love because you do not carry the anger or hurt of the sin with you when you see them.
Jesus tells us many times “Love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus loves everyone, not just the people who do not sin which is a good thing since there are NO people who do not sin. He loves everyone and that gives him the ability to forgive our sins and by doing as he instructed, to love one another, we can do the same: forgive sin.
The Psalm this week is Psalm 32: Lord Forgive The Wrong I’ve Done and following this link you will be able to view the .pdf lead sheet and listen to the demo. This is a fantastic song that depicts the open and honest relationship we have with our Lord and how we are given forgiveness for our sins, our guilt taken away, because we present those sins with an open heart to the Lord and seek His forgiveness. Catholics are uniquely blessed because we practice the sacrament of reconciliation. This sacrament is so important because it gives us the opportunity to empty our hearts of our hurt and sadness caused by our sins and receive forgiveness which is such a freeing experience. When the weight of our guilt is removed from our hearts we experience love, renewal and a sense of lightness in our being. We don’t ever have to be afraid to say to Jesus “I have done wrong” because Jesus will always say, “Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace.”
In Christ,
Elaine