“WALK DAILY WITH JESUS”, 10/03/26, (Tuesday, 3rd week of Lent in Year A).

COLLECT: “MAY YOUR GRACE NOT FORSAKE US, O LORD, WE PRAY, BUT MAKE US DEDICATED TO YOUR HOLY SERVICE AND AT ALL TIMES OBTAIN FOR US YOUR HELP. THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, YOUR SON, WHO LIVES AND REIGNS WITH YOU IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN”.

Dan 3:25,34-43; Ps 24:4-9 and Mt 18:21-35

We are meditating today on the portion of Matthew’s gospel where Peter asks Jesus how often he must forgive a wrongdoer; seven times? Jesus seizes the opportunity to tell the parable of the Unforgiving servant, with the lesson that we always must be ready to forgive the one who offends us (Mt 18:21-35). God, indeed, is pleased with contrite hearts and humble spirits (Cf. Daniel 3:25,34-43). This is only possible if we ourselves are willing to acknowledge our sinful deeds, be remorseful and humbly ask for mercy and pardon from the Forgiving God.

There is a story about a very wicked man who was always maltreating his wife. He even tortured her to death. There was however a condition one must fulfil before Peter, who was guarding the gate to heaven, to open the gate for the person to enter. When the woman got to heaven’s gate, Peter told her to recite the ‘Lord’s Prayer’.

The woman did it with ease and she was granted entrance into heaven. The woman’s husband continued his wickedness till he also passed on.

Unfortunately, when he arrived at heaven’s gate, St. Peter was sent on an errand by God, and Peter appointed the wife of this wicked man to guard the gate. When the husband approached the gate, the wife (gate woman now) showed him a nearby rock and told him to dig a hole in the rock, fill it with black soil and manure, water it and transplant a mango seedling in it.

Further instructions she gave to her wicked husband were: he should continue to water and manure the mango tree, take good care of it till it was fruiting. Then he should bring ten good fruits from that tree before the gate could be opened to him. All these were to be carried out within a very limited time.

Is it possible? Of course, this was an impossible task for the man and so the wife refused to open the gate for him to enter. Some people are unable to forgive others before they die, and even when they are granted mercy and pardon in heaven, they are not ready and willing to forgive those who have offended them.

Today’s scriptures have great lessons for us. We should not keep track of how many times people have offended us and then how many times we have forgiven them. We should always be ready to forgive those who are truly remorseful for their wrong deeds no matter how many times they ask for pardon. Every day, we offend God our Creator and whenever we come to him for pardon, he always grants us. Why can we not do the same? What about the ‘Model Prayer’/the ‘Our Father’ we have been praying?

It is better not to pray this prayer if we cannot forgive a wrongdoer. Or if we are unable to forgive a wrongdoer but must recite the Our Father, it is better when we get to the portion that says: ‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us’, to either avoid it or to change it to: ‘Do not forgive us our trespasses as we do not forgive those who trespass against us’. Otherwise, it will be a counter-witness. May the Lord of Mercy and Pardon grant each of us His spirit and grace of forgiveness to always forgive those who trespass and sin against us. Stay blessed.

WE MEDITATE TODAY, TUESDAY, ON THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES: ‘THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN, THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR, THE CROWNING WITH THORNS, THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS AND THE CRUCIFIXION’ (WE PRAY FOR SORROW FOR SIN, PURITY, COURAGE, PATIENCE, AND PERSEVERANCE) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and the hour of our death, Amen”.

PRAYER: “MAY THE HOLY PARTAKING OF THIS MYSTERY GIVE US LIFE, O LORD, WE PRAY, AND GRANT US BOTH PARDON AND PROTECTION. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN”.

Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.