Jesus said: “If you forgive the faults of others, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours. If you do not forgive other, neither will your Father forgive you.” (Mt 6:14-15) How easy does the world forgive? Instead of forgiveness, we have been taught to “get even”, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” “revenge as a reflection and measure of justified anger”. Following this learned behavior, we have held grudges and anger, hatred and resentment in our hearts for years. We have wallowed in the pain, shame and guilt of the past for so long that we believe it to be a part of ordinary life. While we refuse to forgive, we reject the freedom of a child of God.  Instead of following the example of Jesus on the cross when he forgave before he was asked and thus died in peace, we refuse to forgive and thus remain dead in sin.

Jesus said: “The Son of Man has come, not to be served by others, but to serve, to give his own life as a ransom for the many.” (Mt 20:28) At the Last Supper, after washing the feet of the disciples, including Judas, Jesus concluded: “If I washed your feet–I who am Teacher and Lord– then you must wash each other’s feet.”(Jn 13:14) To the world this type of service is demeaning. To the disciple of Jesus it is imitating. To the world ultimate power is in being or lording it over others; for us, power is in caring for the needs of others. It is not service for the sake of service; but service for the sake of Christ. (To be continued)