Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel, St. Peter asks the Lord how many times do we forgive and the Lord replies with “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” For me, it is easier to forgive others but the hardest thing is to forgive the self. There are days when my mind can run amuck, and I am unable to forgive myself for something that I did either yesterday or 25 years ago. I have learned from my brother monks and coworkers that doing something like this is more draining and takes you farther away from God, it brings disunity in the self, something the devil wants.
As St. Padre Pio once said, “My past, O Lord, to Your mercy; my present, to Your love; my future to Your providence.” Are you holding onto a grudge from the past and still can’t get over it? Ask the Lord to show you His love for you. Call upon Him, “Lord help me to love myself the way you love me.”
Reflection by Br. Maximilian Burkhart, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections