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Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: Mark 6:7-15

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus teaches us the Our Father. In particular, He stresses forgiveness, saying that if we do not forgive others, the Lord will not forgive us.

That’s a sobering thought, isn’t it? Forgiveness is oftentimes incredibly difficult.

Forgiving those who have hurt us takes love, compassion, and charity—things we don’t usually feel when we have been wronged.

I’ve known people who have forgiven murderers, and I’ve known people who could not forgive the transgression of a sibling or a parent.

So what’s the “secret?" What does it take to forgive? It takes the will to forgive, it takes self-examination, and it takes a lot of prayer.

We know that hurt and anger eat us up inside. They can make us bitter people. Yet the person we must forgive often goes on with his life not knowing or caring if we forgive him. As a result, all those negative feelings, all that disgust, and all that anger hurt only one person—the person who was hurt to begin with. Therefore, we must make a conscious decision to forgive.

Making that decision is easy. Actually living that forgiveness and letting go of the anger is the difficult part. That is why we must look inward, understand what that anger has done to us, and then turn to God in prayer.

God understands the hurt and betrayal we feel. He felt it too. And He feels it every time we hurt Him, for our sins drive the nails a little deeper into His body. Yet we know that He loves us regardless. And we rejoice at His forgiveness.

So, let us say the Our Father with resolve and a renewed understanding to forgive as God has forgiven. He will stand beside us in our journey.

 

Ponder:


How will you forgive those who have hurt you?

 

Pray:

Heavenly Father, we praise You and we thank You for forgiving us. Please walk with us and guide us as we strive to forgive those who have hurt us.

Click to tweet:
Living that forgiveness and letting go of the anger is the difficult part. That is why we must look inward, understand what that anger has done to us, and then turn to God in prayer. #dailygospel

Daily Gospel 2

 

Copyright 2022 Susan Cianco

About the Author

Susan Ciancio

Susan Ciancio

Susan Ciancio has a BA in psychology and a BA in sociology from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s in liberal studies from Indiana University. Since 2003, she has worked as a professional editor and writer. She is executive editor for the Culture of Life Studies Program and editor of ALL's Celebrate Life Magazine.