Posted by The WORD in other words (2009) by Fr Jerry Orbos SVD – Christ the King Seminary, Quezon City
Thursday 23rd Week in Ordinary Time
The story is told about a widow whose husband was about to be buried. When the casket was being carried out of the house, it hit the door, and the husband came back to life! Some years later, the husband died again, and as the casket was being carried out of the house, the widow pleaded with the pall bearers: “Slowly please, do not bump the door again!”
There are two irritating and bothersome attitudes that keep on “resurrecting” in our Christian life – our being unforgiving and our being judgmental. Try as we might, a little bump could usually trigger our anger and pride and make us backslide in our spiritual journey.
Whenever anger is “resurrected” we must become aware of it, and in surrender, pray again that most powerful prayer: “Come, Holy spirit!”
Whenever we are tempted to be judgmental, calculating or condescending we must pray St. Francis’ prayer: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace…”
Allow me to share this beautiful message I received which should remind us to be forgiving and compassionate:
“To be tender with the young;
to be compassionate with the aged;
to be sympathetic with the striving;
to be patient with the weak;
to be forgiving of sinners…for
in our lifetime, we were, and will be any
or all of these.”
In humility, let us ask the Lord to give us forgiving hearts for we ourselves have been forgiven much. In humility, we ask also the Lord to remove our judgmental and condemning hearts and give us understanding and compassionate hearts. Amen!
