COLLECT: “ALMIGHTY EVER-LIVING GOD, WHOM, TAUGHT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, WE DARE TO CALL FATHER, BRING, WE PRAY, TO PERFECTION IN OUR HEARTS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION AS YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS, THAT WE MAY MERIT TO ENTER INTO THE INHERITANCE WHICH YOU HAVE PROMISED. 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”.
Ez 12:1-12; Ps 77:56-59,61-62 and Mt 18:21-19:1.
There is a song by a famous Dagaaba musician that: “If God were a human being, if God were a child, if God were a human being, one day the world would have been set ablaze” (Ka Ngmen da waa ninsaala, Ka Ngmen da waa bibile, ka Ngmen da waa ninsaala, bie kanga a tenga nyog vuu). We need to meditate seriously upon the words in this song, alongside today’s scriptures. The Psalmist has it that, “…If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive? But with you is found forgiveness: for this we revere you” (Ps 130:3-4). God’s mercy is at work in the two scriptures we are reflecting on today. He breaks the disheartening news to the exiles only gradually, and in the Gospel, Jesus tells and shows us to have a limitless amount of merciful love towards others, as he is always merciful to us. I do not think we need to belabour this point. God, indeed, has been sparing us every day and every time for our numerous, humanly speaking, unforgivable sins and wrong deeds. Why can’t we do the same in a little way for a brother or a sister who offends us?
God has been forgiving us our terrible and major misdeeds, our sinful ways and actions and our trespasses, yet we cannot forgive others who commit very minute sins against us. When we are not able to forgive those who wrong us, the repercussions are disastrous, and therefore we should avoid it. Some of the disastrous effects of the inability to forgive others who sin against us are: poor/low development, suffering, poverty, sickness like High Blood Pressure leading to other related diseases, hatred, murder, etc.
God indeed is a merciful God, but he is also a just God, and he judges everyone according to the person's conduct, behaviour and actions. Where will I place myself? We should not take stock of the offences of people against us. We should pray not to ever be tempted to say or think that we are fed up with our efforts to forgive those who offend us. Let us always pray for the spirit of forgiveness and know that: “To err is human, but to forgive is divine”, and therefore always pray for the grace to forgive those who sin against us. The ability to forgive cannot be compared with any medicine in the world. It heals a lot of sicknesses. As we continue to experience the Lord’s merciful love and forgiveness, let us pray to also be merciful to others, especially those we have grudges against. “Lord, help me to be merciful as you are merciful”. May Saints Pontian and Hippolytus keep interceding for us. Stay blessed and happy feast to all who bear the names Pontian and Hippolytus.
WE MEDITATE TODAY, THURSDAY, ON THE MYSTERIES OF LIGHT: ‘THE BAPTISM OF JESUS, THE WEDDING AT CANA, THE PROCLAMATION OF THE KINGDOM, THE TRANSFIGURATION, AND THE INSTITUTION OF THE EUCHARIST’. (WE PRAY FOR OPENNESS TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, PRAY TO JESUS THROUGH MARY, FOR REPENTANCE AND TRUST IN GOD, THE DESIRE FOR HOLINESS, AND WE PRAY FOR THE SPIRIT OF ADORATION) “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 at the hour of our death, Amen”.
PRAYER: “MAY THE COMMUNION IN YOUR SACRAMENT THAT WE HAVE CONSUMED SAVE US, O LORD, AND CONFIRM US IN THE LIGHT OF YOUR TRUTH. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN.”
Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.com.
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