+(Intro) As often as we say the Our Father we ask God to forgive our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. As we begin this celebration of this Eucharist let us be aware of how we may be unforgiving at times toward those who have hurt us, may even hold resentment.
FORGIVE US AS WE FORGIVE: Living in family or in a community gives rise to occasions when we can easily neglect, offend, belittle, disregard, get angry at, take offence at something done to us, we can think of ourselves superior to another, be envious of another, fail to be a truly loving presence to whomever.
We have all been influenced by our earthly fathers and we can not help but project this experience onto our heavenly Father to whom Jesus invites us today, to pray. To hallow God’s name and invite God to reign in our hearts, is to open ourselves to our heavenly Father’s merciful love, to allow it to penetrate every fiber of our being. Only such love will enable us to forgive others as we have been so mercifully forgiven. May this love fill our hearts today and every day of our lives.
(Is 55:10-11; Mt 6:7-17)