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Jesus lived His life in complete dependence upon God, as we all ought to live our lives. But such dependence does not destroy human personality. Man is never so fully and so truly personal as when he is living in complete dependence upon God. This is how personality comes into its own. This is humanity at its most personal.
… Donald M. Baillie (1887-1954), God was in Christ: an essay on incarnation and atonement, Scribner, 1955, p. 93
(Our deepest, truest identify is realized in
close relationship with God. How do you experience this?)
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Ti 1:1-9; Ps 24:1b-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
Lk
17:1-6
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Things that cause sin will inevitably occur,
but woe to the one through whom they occur.
It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck
and he be thrown into the sea
than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
Be on your guard!
If your brother sins, rebuke him;
and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he wrongs
you seven times in one day
and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’
you should forgive him.”
And the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
‘Be uprooted and planted in the
sea,’ and it would obey you.” USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture |
“And if he wrongs you seven times … and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.”
It’s frustrating when a loved one makes the same mistake or follows
the same wrong path over and over despite the best advice and the best intentions. It’s easy to grow tired of forgiving yet again when the behavior likely won’t change soon. In these moments we should recall how often we find ourselves confessing the same sins over and over and how broken and defeated we feel at our inability to get past certain shortcomings. Even if we recognize our wrongdoing, we cannot always fully free ourselves. The Lord knows how true we intend to be, even if we fall short
again and again. Luckily, when we acknowledge our wrongs and go to the Lord truly repentant, it doesn’t matter if it’s seven or 700 times; he will forgive us. He doesn’t keep count.
“That we may do the same for each other, we
pray.”
- from preacherexchange.com
mycatholic.com
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Theological Gems from Emile Merch's Theology of the Mystical Body - selected by Jim and Tyra Arraj
Book III: Christ
Chapter 11: Nature of the Redemption
374.
Thus we humans, who used to be afar off, have been made to come near; we who were strangers and outsiders have been brought inside and welcomed as members of the family. He has made us His own beloved children by sanctifying us in His well-beloved Son.
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