Posted by The WORD in other words (2019) by Father Francisco Estepa SVD – Holy Name University, Tagbilaran, Bohol
Thursday 19th Week in Ordinary Time
Image source : Wikimedia Commons
The doctor told his patient that he had rabies. The patient then asked for a pen and paper. The doctor said that the patient did not need to write a will since his sickness was curable. The patient answered that he just wanted to list the names of people whom he would like to bite.
The story, funny as it may seem, reflects a vengeful attitude. The patient wants to retaliate against people who have hurt him. This kind of attitude is very different from the teaching of the Gospel for today which speaks of the importance of forgiveness (Mt 18,21–19,1).
As humans we are hurt and in return we hurt other people. This is the pain of being human. Because of our imperfections, we cause pain in people and we are pained in return. Although this is the sad plight of being human, it does not need to follow a cycle of retaliation and pain. It can be stopped. We can transcend the cycle of hurting because of the possibility of forgiveness. We can forgive but it entails imbibing the value of love – that our love should be greater than our anger and hurts.
God’s love for us is so great that He can forgive us. Our sins are small compared to the love of God. And because we experience God’s love in his forgiveness, we can forgive in return.
A shared message I received said: “We heal our minds when we remember happy times and let go of bad memories. We heal our souls when we pray not only for those we love but also for others. We heal our hearts when we truly forgive and allow peace and love to reign in our hearts.”
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