Journey Through Lent

God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy. Pope Francis

Hebrews 8:11 “And no one then will need to speak to his friend or neighbour or brother, saying, ‘You, too, should know the Lord,’ because everyone, great and small, will know me already. 12 And I will be merciful to them in their wrongdoings, and I will remember their sins no more.”

In a phrase it could be said that God Remembers What we Forget and God Forgets What we Remember! 

How different God’s pardon is from ours! So often we forgive as did the mother of the little girl who had been good a whole week, and asked mother for a favour. "I know," was the answer, "that you have been good all this week, but you know you were bad last week."

In a passionate burst of feeling, the little one exclaimed: "Oh, Mother, you are not one bit like God. When He forgives, He doesn’t keep throwing it up afterward."

There's a wonderful story about the cardinal of the Philippines, named, oddly enough, Cardinal Sin. When Cardinal Sin was a bishop, a young woman in his parish claimed that she had visions of Jesus. Bishop Sin was given the task of determining if these visions were authentic. He called her in for an interview, after which he made this request: "Daughter, the next time you see Jesus, would you ask Him what sin your bishop committed as a young priest and then come and tell me His answer." She agreed. The bishop, aware that nobody knew his sin except himself, his confessor, and Jesus, felt this would be a valid test.

Months later the young woman returned, reporting she had seen Jesus again. The bishop said, "Good. Did you ask Him about my sin?"

She said, "Yes,"

"What did He say?"

"He said, 'I've forgotten.'"

Dear God,

Thank you, Lord, that when we repent and ask for forgiveness, that you remember our sins no more. Help us to follow in Jesus’s example. Remind us that prayer is one of our greatest weapons and through continual prayer, praying for our enemies, you will begin to soften our hearts and give us the strength to forgive them.

Father, bless those who have wronged us. Show us where we are still holding back forgiveness, so that we can begin the obedient steps of forgiving. And when we still remember, as it’s hard to forget, open our eyes to love that person, replacing the hurt with love. We thank you for forgiving us this day and every day and commit to striving to do the same. In Jesus name. Amen