Take up your cross, the Savior said,If you would my disciple be;
Deny yourself, the world forsake,
And humbly follow after me.
(A 1st week reminder)
Today's Readings
Yes, Lent is a time for penance and sacrifice. However, prayer is also a very important part of the Lenten season and the spiritual activities that give renewal on the journey toward Easter. The principal purpose of more prayer is to assist those truly serious about strengthening a God-relationship.
Some may feel that the simple recitation of a few familiar prayers each day can bring about the desired God-relationship. Take note: this practice may help but it is not enough. Building any relationship with another person or with God is serious business. Just as in human relationship building, developing a strong God-relationship requires that obstacles that block better interaction be removed or lessened. In dealing with the God-relationship the goal for a strong prayer life is to remove those obstacles (sins) that block openness to God's graces. Yet there are some who would ask this kind of question: "If prayer is one of the pillars of a spiritual life, isn't an Our Father and/or a Hail Mary sufficient? I leave the serious praying to the men and women who live in monasteries." Well, of course it is not enough. It is no more enough than a once a day telephone call to another person with whom you might be trying to build a relationship. Imagine how successful a young suitor would be if the young lady he is trying to win over heard these words once or twice a week: "Hi, how are you? I hope all is well. My boss is really keeping me busy. My apartment surely keeps me on the run. I'll call you tomorrow. Take care." As Paul Harvey would say with his infectious laugh, "Well, now, you know the rest of the story."
Well, in building a strong God-relationship, we have to remove the sinfulness that clutters our hearts and minds. One kind of prayer that is necessary to unclutter our lives is the prayer granting forgiveness to those who have offended in any way. Oops! How does this pardoning business creep into prayer? The answer: today's gospel. Read it carefully, especially noting how Jesus adds a few words after what we traditionally consider the "end" of the Our Father prayer, the prayer he taught us. "...but deliver us from evil." He does not add Amen after the word "evil." Rather, he continues: "If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions" (Mt 6:15).
Jesus calls us to forgive -- one of the most frequent callings from Jesus in the four gospels. Repeatedly Jesus puts before his disciples the challenge to forgive, to do away with grudges. Did you ever consider why beyond the usual "Oh, it's the right thing to do" response? Why? Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, currently President of Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington, gives the answer: "Because violence begets violence, vengeance begets vengeance, resentment begets resentment, and the cycle will continue and grow so long as one of the offended parties does not let go."
Without forgiveness in our lives prayer is stymied. Fr. Spitzer recommends a prayer, a very short sentence, when we find ourselves angry with another, when we cannot find room in our hearts for forgiveness: "Lord, You are the just Judge; You take care of it." Imagine what life would be like if people were willing to pardon: "forgiving eventually turns into forgetting."
(Spitzer, Five Pillars of the Spiritual Life)
Some may feel that the simple recitation of a few familiar prayers each day can bring about the desired God-relationship. Take note: this practice may help but it is not enough. Building any relationship with another person or with God is serious business. Just as in human relationship building, developing a strong God-relationship requires that obstacles that block better interaction be removed or lessened. In dealing with the God-relationship the goal for a strong prayer life is to remove those obstacles (sins) that block openness to God's graces. Yet there are some who would ask this kind of question: "If prayer is one of the pillars of a spiritual life, isn't an Our Father and/or a Hail Mary sufficient? I leave the serious praying to the men and women who live in monasteries." Well, of course it is not enough. It is no more enough than a once a day telephone call to another person with whom you might be trying to build a relationship. Imagine how successful a young suitor would be if the young lady he is trying to win over heard these words once or twice a week: "Hi, how are you? I hope all is well. My boss is really keeping me busy. My apartment surely keeps me on the run. I'll call you tomorrow. Take care." As Paul Harvey would say with his infectious laugh, "Well, now, you know the rest of the story."
Well, in building a strong God-relationship, we have to remove the sinfulness that clutters our hearts and minds. One kind of prayer that is necessary to unclutter our lives is the prayer granting forgiveness to those who have offended in any way. Oops! How does this pardoning business creep into prayer? The answer: today's gospel. Read it carefully, especially noting how Jesus adds a few words after what we traditionally consider the "end" of the Our Father prayer, the prayer he taught us. "...but deliver us from evil." He does not add Amen after the word "evil." Rather, he continues: "If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions" (Mt 6:15).
Jesus calls us to forgive -- one of the most frequent callings from Jesus in the four gospels. Repeatedly Jesus puts before his disciples the challenge to forgive, to do away with grudges. Did you ever consider why beyond the usual "Oh, it's the right thing to do" response? Why? Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, currently President of Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington, gives the answer: "Because violence begets violence, vengeance begets vengeance, resentment begets resentment, and the cycle will continue and grow so long as one of the offended parties does not let go."
Without forgiveness in our lives prayer is stymied. Fr. Spitzer recommends a prayer, a very short sentence, when we find ourselves angry with another, when we cannot find room in our hearts for forgiveness: "Lord, You are the just Judge; You take care of it." Imagine what life would be like if people were willing to pardon: "forgiving eventually turns into forgetting."
(Spitzer, Five Pillars of the Spiritual Life)
