What is humility?
A hermit was asked, “What is humility?” He said, “It is if you forgive a brother who has wronged you before he is sorry.”
-De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V
Tag: Forgiveness
Desert Fathers: Restoring the sinner
Once a brother in the community of Elias fell when he was tempted. He was expelled from the community, and went to the mountain to Antony.
When he had been with him for some time, Anthony sent him back to his community, but when they saw him, they sent him away again. So he went back to Anthony and said, “They won’t have me, abba.” So anthony sent a message to them saying, “A ship was wrecked in the ocean and lost its cargo, and with great difficulty the empty ship was brought to land. Do you want to run the ship that has been rescued onto the the rocks and sink it?”
They realized that Antony had sent him back, and at once accepted him.
– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V
Praying for Osama
I meant to post this blog entry a long time ago, but it became one of the many posts to hide itself away in my Drafts folder. I came across it yesterday and, given the recent horrific events in Connecticut, I thought it was an appropriate time to finally post it.
An unusual prayer request
Back in May of 2011, there was a great stir after a parishioner of a parish in Florida requested a Mass to be said for the soul of Osama Bin Laden.
This request caused all kinds of uproar among other parishioners:
“I think it’s totally wrong, he doesn’t belong in the Catholic religion. For what he did to Americans, he doesn’t belong anywhere…”
“It’s unconscionable, it’s sacrilegious…”
While I can understand the gut reaction of those who objected to this proposed Mass intention, how compatible are these statements with the Catholic faith?
Friday Frivolity: Forgiveness
Recall the words of the Lord…
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. – Matthew 18:21-22
…and now be a doer of the Word!
All the sins!
Unforgiveness
“Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Unforgiveness enslaves the human spirit. Unforgiveness is the thief from our past that robs us of our future.”
– The Seven Levels of Intimacy, Matthew Kelly
Clinging to anger
I was talking with someone recently about forgiveness and how, when we hold a grudge, we do damage to ourselves. I had a Scripture verse at the back of my head but I couldn’t remember where it was in the Bible. Today I found it:
“Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.
Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD? Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins? If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins?
Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin! Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults” – Sirach 27:30-28:7
We cling to anger and hold it tight. We nourish it so that it can grow even greater. What are we thinking?!
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you” – L. Smede