A WORD FOR TODAY 18 JUNE 2020

A WORD FOR TODAY

FORGIVE AS YOU PRAY AND GOD WILL FORGIVE YOU

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."(Matthew 6:14-15)

It makes no sense when we gather to pray either as an individual or a group, in public or private place, and we ask God to show us mercy and forgive our sins, yet in our heart we bear grudges for people and refuse to forgive them for the things they have done to us. This, simply, does not make us good Christians and we can never please God through such actions.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray in the right way and the prayer he taught them is the 'Our Father'. It is the prayer that has everything a good prayer should have. It begins with praise and acknowledgement of the greatness of God. It progresses to make intercession for one's needs, prays for forgiveness and seeks God's help not to fall into temptation and finally prays for deliverance from evil.

We can see that Forgiveness is a key ingredient in prayer and when we pray from a clean and pure heart devoid of hatred, bitterness and unforgiveness, our prayer is bound to find answers in the sight of God. No one who harbors unforgiveness in the heart can pray and attract God's attention.

If we must receive God's forgiveness when we offend Him, we must be ready to forgive others who will offend us. It is only by forgiving them that we will be forgiven by the Lord. Infact, if we fail to forgive those who have done us harm, we will not expect to be forgiven by a God who cares about us and wants us to show love to others as He has shown love to us, even those who have hurt us so much.

If you love like Jesus, you must learn to try as much as you can to understand people as God understands you. You must also try to let go and forget what has been done to you so that you can be free and happy to worship God and to live your life in happiness. You cannot achieve this by your power alone, God will help you if you let His Spirit dwell in you. Make an assessment of yourself now and find out who you need to forgive, forgive the person immediately and let go so that you will be healed, your prayer will be answered and your joy will be restored.

Good morning dearest one. Smile😊as you do your work and do have a magnificent day. May Jesus give you the grace to forgive others so that you will find God's forgiveness too. Amen. And may the Almighty God bless you: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Meditation: Sirach 48:1-14/Psalm 97:1-7/Matthew 6:7-15

Watch-Word: Rejoice in the Lord, you just.

unforgiveness can make you sick, sad and bitter, but forgiveness is the key to your healing, restoration and peace. Choose wisely what you want.

(Thursday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time. Year II)