Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
Tuesday, 2 May 2017
Sunday, 1 May 2016
Forgiveness - St Philip Neri
"If a man finds it very hard to forgive injuries, let him
look at a crucifix, and think that Christ has shed all His Blood for him, and
not only forgave his enemies, but prayed the Eternal Father to forgive them
also."
Monday, 27 October 2014
“As We Also Forgive Our Debtors” - Cardinal Bacci
“As We Also Forgive Our Debtors”
1. When we ask God to forgive us, we promise to forgive those who have offended us. Unless we are to be guilty of deception, therefore, we must pardon them. If we refuse to forgive, God will not forgive us. Jesus tells us in the Gospel to pardon offences not seven times, but seventy times seven. (Cf. Mt. 18:22) In other words, we must always be prepared to forgive. He tells us to return good for evil and to turn the other cheek when someone strikes us.
Not alone did Jesus command us to do this, but He also set us an example. While He was suffering fearful torments on the Cross and was surrounded by jeering enemies, He turned to His heavenly Father and uttered those sublime words: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:24)
How could we gaze at the Crucifix and dare to refuse forgiveness to anyone? No matter how grave may seem the injuries done to us by our neighbour, let us remember that they are insignificant in comparison with the insults which we have dared to offer to the infinite majesty of our Creator. They are as the hundred denarii compared with the ten thousand talents of Christ’s parable. (Mt. 18:24-28)
If we wish to receive God’s pardon, therefore, let us be prepared to forgive. Let our forgiveness be sincere, however, and not a mere formal token. The forgiveness freely granted by a heart scourged by the injuries of others is a pleasing sacrifice offered to God.
2. “If thou art offering thy gift at the altar,” Jesus tells us, “and thou rememberest that thy brother has anything against thee, leave thy gift before the altar and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” (Mt. 5:23-24) Prayer is futile, therefore, unless we have first forgiven our enemies.
“Learn from me,” Jesus said when He proposed Himself as a model to be imitated, “for I am meek and humble of heart.” Then, He added, “you will find rest for your souls.” (Cf. Mt. 11:29) How true this is. The foundation of our hatred, anger, and resentment is always our wounded pride. We need Christlike gentleness and humility if we are to forgive sincerely and generously. Only when we have this gentleness and humility, moreover, shall we find joy in forgiving, and only then shall we have peace. As long as there is room in our hearts for pride and hatred, we can never enjoy peace of soul.
3. Some people hold that it is base and low-spirited to forgive easily, whereas a keen sense of honour demands revenge. Nothing could be more false. Even animals seek revenge. The true greatness of human nature lies in its ability to conquer the lower instincts. “It is far more difficult,” wrote a famous historian of antiquity, “to overcome oneself than to defeat one’s enemy in battle.” (Val. Max., L, 4) Forgiveness requires a victory over pride and sensitivity and is therefore a high act of human value.
When we forgive, we do not abase ourselves before the man who has offended us, but we raise ourselves above him by our nobility and generosity. By behaving in this manner we display our self-control, inspire sentiments of respect and benevolence, and may even bring about a reconciliation and a renewal of friendship.
So let us make a few good resolutions. (1) Remembering how Jesus prayed for His executioners, let us always be generous in pardoning others. (2) Let us do good to those who have offended us, adopting the motto of St. Paul: “Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom. 12:21) (3) When the injury which we have received disturbs us greatly and causes us to lose our peace of mind, let us remain silent and procrastinate. “Delay is the best cure for anger,” wrote Seneca, who also very truly observed that whenever we have been angry with others we end by being angry with ourselves.
1. When we ask God to forgive us, we promise to forgive those who have offended us. Unless we are to be guilty of deception, therefore, we must pardon them. If we refuse to forgive, God will not forgive us. Jesus tells us in the Gospel to pardon offences not seven times, but seventy times seven. (Cf. Mt. 18:22) In other words, we must always be prepared to forgive. He tells us to return good for evil and to turn the other cheek when someone strikes us.
Not alone did Jesus command us to do this, but He also set us an example. While He was suffering fearful torments on the Cross and was surrounded by jeering enemies, He turned to His heavenly Father and uttered those sublime words: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:24)
How could we gaze at the Crucifix and dare to refuse forgiveness to anyone? No matter how grave may seem the injuries done to us by our neighbour, let us remember that they are insignificant in comparison with the insults which we have dared to offer to the infinite majesty of our Creator. They are as the hundred denarii compared with the ten thousand talents of Christ’s parable. (Mt. 18:24-28)
If we wish to receive God’s pardon, therefore, let us be prepared to forgive. Let our forgiveness be sincere, however, and not a mere formal token. The forgiveness freely granted by a heart scourged by the injuries of others is a pleasing sacrifice offered to God.
2. “If thou art offering thy gift at the altar,” Jesus tells us, “and thou rememberest that thy brother has anything against thee, leave thy gift before the altar and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” (Mt. 5:23-24) Prayer is futile, therefore, unless we have first forgiven our enemies.
“Learn from me,” Jesus said when He proposed Himself as a model to be imitated, “for I am meek and humble of heart.” Then, He added, “you will find rest for your souls.” (Cf. Mt. 11:29) How true this is. The foundation of our hatred, anger, and resentment is always our wounded pride. We need Christlike gentleness and humility if we are to forgive sincerely and generously. Only when we have this gentleness and humility, moreover, shall we find joy in forgiving, and only then shall we have peace. As long as there is room in our hearts for pride and hatred, we can never enjoy peace of soul.
3. Some people hold that it is base and low-spirited to forgive easily, whereas a keen sense of honour demands revenge. Nothing could be more false. Even animals seek revenge. The true greatness of human nature lies in its ability to conquer the lower instincts. “It is far more difficult,” wrote a famous historian of antiquity, “to overcome oneself than to defeat one’s enemy in battle.” (Val. Max., L, 4) Forgiveness requires a victory over pride and sensitivity and is therefore a high act of human value.
When we forgive, we do not abase ourselves before the man who has offended us, but we raise ourselves above him by our nobility and generosity. By behaving in this manner we display our self-control, inspire sentiments of respect and benevolence, and may even bring about a reconciliation and a renewal of friendship.
So let us make a few good resolutions. (1) Remembering how Jesus prayed for His executioners, let us always be generous in pardoning others. (2) Let us do good to those who have offended us, adopting the motto of St. Paul: “Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom. 12:21) (3) When the injury which we have received disturbs us greatly and causes us to lose our peace of mind, let us remain silent and procrastinate. “Delay is the best cure for anger,” wrote Seneca, who also very truly observed that whenever we have been angry with others we end by being angry with ourselves.
“Forgive Us Our Debts” - Cardinal Bacci
“Forgive Us Our Debts”
1. When we have asked God for nourishment for soul and body, we go on to implore forgiveness for our debts, whether they have been contracted in the course of nature, or of grace, or of sin. We owe everything to God. There was a time when we did not exist, and in His divine omnipotence He created us from nothing. Our bodily powers and spiritual faculties are His gifts to us. If we enjoy health, it is He Who has given it to us. If we have any ability, it comes from Him. Anything which we have been able to achieve as the result of mental or manual labour has been made possible by His help.
Who is it but God Who rescues us from the many perils which surround us? Who but He enables us to overcome so many difficulties? How many times we should have died if He had not sustained us!
Let us think back over our past lives. How much reason we have to be grateful to God, Who has watched over us continually like a loving Father. The conservation of life is a continuous act of creation. When we recite the Pater Noster, therefore, we should express our filial gratitude to God and ask for His continued protection. Every moment of life is a new gift of God and an act of His infinite love in our regard. Let us be grateful and love Him generously in return.
2. Over and above these natural debts, we are also indebted to God for His grace. Not only has God created us, but He has also raised us to the supernatural order. By His grace He has made us His friends and His adopted children. As a result of original sin we lost this supernatural life and were unable to regain it by our own efforts.
God was moved with compassion for us, however, and sent His own divine Son to sacrifice Himself for love of us in order to redeem us and to restore to us the supernatural life of the soul. We are greatly indebted in the supernatural order, therefore, to our Creator and our Redeemer. The only way in which we can adequately satisfy our obligation is by offering up the infinite merits of Jesus Christ.
We have been born, moreover, in the Catholic Church and have received a Christian education. God has always been close to us with His Sacraments. By means of Baptism He caused us to be born again to a life of grace. Whenever we fell, He raised us up again through the Sacrament of Penance, and when we were weak and faltering He nourished us with His Eucharistic food. Let us adore Him and acknowledge that we can never thank Him enough for all that He has done for us. That is why we need to repeat time and time again: Forgive us our debts.
3. Finally, we owe God a great deal on account of our sins. Unfortunately, our only return for God’s continual favours has been negligence, ingratitude, and sin. How many failings we have been guilty of throughout our lives. Since it is an offence against God, Who is infinitely good and amiable, even venial sin cannot properly be atoned for by the merits of all the Angels and of all the Saints of Heaven. Therefore it was necessary for the Son of God made man to offer Himself as a victim of expiation on our behalf.
Remembering His infinite merits, we should humbly ask God: Forgive us our debts, that is, our many sins and failings and whatever punishment is owing to us, for every sin demands some expiation either in this life or in the next. Meanwhile, we should accept with resignation all the sufferings which God sends us in reparation for our sins, and we should promise never to offend Him any more.
1. When we have asked God for nourishment for soul and body, we go on to implore forgiveness for our debts, whether they have been contracted in the course of nature, or of grace, or of sin. We owe everything to God. There was a time when we did not exist, and in His divine omnipotence He created us from nothing. Our bodily powers and spiritual faculties are His gifts to us. If we enjoy health, it is He Who has given it to us. If we have any ability, it comes from Him. Anything which we have been able to achieve as the result of mental or manual labour has been made possible by His help.
Who is it but God Who rescues us from the many perils which surround us? Who but He enables us to overcome so many difficulties? How many times we should have died if He had not sustained us!
Let us think back over our past lives. How much reason we have to be grateful to God, Who has watched over us continually like a loving Father. The conservation of life is a continuous act of creation. When we recite the Pater Noster, therefore, we should express our filial gratitude to God and ask for His continued protection. Every moment of life is a new gift of God and an act of His infinite love in our regard. Let us be grateful and love Him generously in return.
2. Over and above these natural debts, we are also indebted to God for His grace. Not only has God created us, but He has also raised us to the supernatural order. By His grace He has made us His friends and His adopted children. As a result of original sin we lost this supernatural life and were unable to regain it by our own efforts.
God was moved with compassion for us, however, and sent His own divine Son to sacrifice Himself for love of us in order to redeem us and to restore to us the supernatural life of the soul. We are greatly indebted in the supernatural order, therefore, to our Creator and our Redeemer. The only way in which we can adequately satisfy our obligation is by offering up the infinite merits of Jesus Christ.
We have been born, moreover, in the Catholic Church and have received a Christian education. God has always been close to us with His Sacraments. By means of Baptism He caused us to be born again to a life of grace. Whenever we fell, He raised us up again through the Sacrament of Penance, and when we were weak and faltering He nourished us with His Eucharistic food. Let us adore Him and acknowledge that we can never thank Him enough for all that He has done for us. That is why we need to repeat time and time again: Forgive us our debts.
3. Finally, we owe God a great deal on account of our sins. Unfortunately, our only return for God’s continual favours has been negligence, ingratitude, and sin. How many failings we have been guilty of throughout our lives. Since it is an offence against God, Who is infinitely good and amiable, even venial sin cannot properly be atoned for by the merits of all the Angels and of all the Saints of Heaven. Therefore it was necessary for the Son of God made man to offer Himself as a victim of expiation on our behalf.
Remembering His infinite merits, we should humbly ask God: Forgive us our debts, that is, our many sins and failings and whatever punishment is owing to us, for every sin demands some expiation either in this life or in the next. Meanwhile, we should accept with resignation all the sufferings which God sends us in reparation for our sins, and we should promise never to offend Him any more.
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