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Jesus
said, “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that
they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like
them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask
him. This is how you are to pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed
be your
name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven. Give us today our daily bread; and forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but
deliver us from the evil one. If you forgive others their
transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you
do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your
transgressions.”
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“This
time. This place. Misused. Mistakes. Too
long. Too late. You know that I love you. I have
loved you all along, and I miss you. Been far away for far too
long. I keep dreaming you’ll be with me, and you’ll
never go. Stop breathing if I don’t see you anymore. On
my knees, I’ll ask; last chance for one last dance. I
need to hear you say that I love you and I forgive you for being away
for far too long.”
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Jesus
Christ was quite clear about asking for forgiveness. He teaches
us to pray what we have come to know as "The Lord’s
Prayer" with the acknowledgment of our need for forgiveness, and
then he repeats the idea in his own words after he teaches the
prayer. Jesus knew that we must ask for forgiveness of God and
others and he wanted us to recognize that words alone were not
enough. We must prove by our actions that we mean what we say.
Nickelback’s song "Far Away" is all about forgiveness and the need to make up for past behavior. The person in the song has been far away for far too long. And so, he needs her to say to him, "I forgive you," and he is begging her to hear him say "I’m sorry." Forgiveness, the ability to say, "I’m sorry" and consequently "I forgive you" is such an important part of any love relationship. It is also very much a fact of life in other areas of our lives. We are human beings. Human beings are not perfect; we make mistakes. More often than not, those mistakes hurt other human beings. We say things that should never be said; we act on the spur of the moment and often do things that should never be done; we "take advantage of," we "use," we take no account of other’s feelings; we sin. And we must ask for forgiveness--from God, yes, but also from the people that we hurt, with the desire to begin "a new life" with them, a life that will show that our sorrow is real, a life that will be proof that it will never happen again. |
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THOUGHT
What
are the best ways to show that we are sorry?
PRAYER Good
and gracious God, your Son taught us his prayer, the prayer that has
come to bear his name. By teaching us the prayer, he makes it
clear that you want us to forgive others. Help us follow your
desire in our daily lives, and give us the grace to ask for forgiveness
from you and any others we may hurt. Be with us, we pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |