Word to the Wise
Friday, June 1, 2007 - St. Justin Martyr
[Sirach 44:1, 9-13 and Mark 11:11-26]When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.
Do those words seem familiar? They should. Every time we say "the Lord's prayer," we ask God to forgive us to the extent that we forgive others. The gospels of Matthew and Luke preserve the words of that prayer, but Mark includes this one admonition. It is a big challenge because it requires us to be quite intentional about what we are doing when we stand to pray. Is there anyone that we are not getting along with? Do we have any standing grudges or prejudices that keep us from loving? The fundamental principle here is that we cannot divide love of God and love of neighbor. One involves the other. The First Letter of John contains a similar principle when it says that someone who says he or she loves God but does not love his or her neighbor, such a person is a liar! That's blunt talk! Why then do we not "get it?" Forgiveness is a large part of love. I really wonder how many would follow Jesus if they truly knew how deeply the obligation to forgive is part of Jesus' message. It's not just some kind of pious idealism. We have to do it or we can't call ourselves Christian with any honesty. AMEN
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