Monday, August 9, 2021

12 August 2021 - Thursday of the 19th week in Ordinary Time - Matthew 18:21-19:1

      In today’s Gospel, Christ talks about the importance of forgiving others in our life of faith and the importance of feeling forgiven by God.  In a world that often sees forgiveness as a sign of weakness and revenge as a sign of strength, our Gospel message has a lot it can teach the world. We see this message conveyed in the words of Pope Francis in our modern era.  Pope Francis states: “May the Church be a place of God’s mercy and hope, where all feel welcomed, loved, forgiven, and encouraged to live according to the good life of the Gospel.  And to make others feel welcomed, loved, forgiven, and encouraged, the Church must be with doors wide open so that all may enter.  And we must go out through these doors and proclaim the Gospel.”  Forgiveness often is something that does not come quickly, but that often comes with time and through hard work.  Perhaps we can think of a co-worker or family member or friend with whom we have a ruptured relationship, with whom we need healing and reconciliation.  Let this Gospel message live in all of us. 

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