Gospel Reflections for September 17 2017
Forgiveness 70 x 7 times! (really?)
This Gospel speaks powerfully about forgiveness, but that many times?
Since my ordination almost forty years ago, I have heard many thousands of Confessions. It remains a very humbling and inspiring experience for me.
You might know that at beginning of every Confession the person indicates how long it has been since their last confession.
I am always profoundly impressed whenever I hear that it has been many years. I always say, “Welcome back!” I can sense right away how good it makes people feel to return to this very healthy spiritual exercise.
One thing a priest NEVER ask is “How many times have you been to confession?” That is never an issue! After all, a person may come to confession every week, and even confess the very same sins week after week, and yet still receive the same grace of forgiveness that Our Lord provides in this sacrament. If we are truly sorry for our mistakes, we always have the chance to start over again no matter how many times we fail. That is good news!
After all, some sins are so ingrained and habitual that they may be with us all our life. Our Lord knows that. All He asks is that we are honest about them, acknowledge them sincerely, accurately and quickly, and then humbly seek the grace to try to overcome them one more time. We may never be perfect, but we can always be honest.
We often do not receive this kind of mercy from those around us. If we offend or hurt others over and over again, well, we can understand that they might choose to end the relationship, for their own peace and well-being. Fair enough.
Our Lord is different. He will never choose to end His relationship with us so let us never choose to end our relationship with Him. His grace is not something we want to take advantage of, or never make any effort to use to change our bad habits. Just the opposite. Let us realize the mercy and grace we have received and find the courage to make the changes we need to make.
We have all the time our life provides, but only the time our life provides. Let us use our time well and the grace of forgiveness we receive to move forward.
God Bless!
Fr. Dave
This reflection came just in time to cap off an apology I gave to someone I cannot stand. Like St. Paul reminds us how he always did what he didn’t want to do and face to do what he wanted to. I spoke very harshly to this someone and I d promised myself I would not do that. The response to my apology was very harsh. I will keep us both in my prayers.
You are on a very good journey of faith. The fact that you acknowledge your mistake is always the best first step!
Dear Fr. Dave,
This reflection was especially helpful and I am always reminded of what a blessing you are to our Church. One of my most treasured memories was when I came back to the Church after having been away and you simply said, “Come home. Just come home.” Like the phrase “Welcome back,” there is much healing in that. Thank you, Joyce and David Bock
“Home” is the warmest and most welcome word of all.
You are a beautiful, precious priest Father Dave with Jesus living in you and you share Him so beautifully with others!!!You so lovingly express the beauty of forgiveness!!What a precious gift we have in receiving our loving Jesus in the beautiful, gift of the Holy Eucharist and in the gift of forgiveness!!!! God’s heart was overwhelmingly filled with sooooooooooo much love to give us Jesus and forgiveness!!! Loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee our precious God, our precious faith and lovee you for bringing our loving Faith sooooooooooooooooooo beautifully to us!! We are soooooooooooooo lovingly blessed!!! Have a precious day in our Jesus and our Blessed Mother’s precious loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!
Loveeeeeeeeeeeeeee, Franca and Dick
Thank you!
I have friends and relatives that have left the Catholic faith. Blessed with a deep understanding and love of the Eucharist, I use to wonder, “Do they know what they are missing?” Then, I remembered how the sacrament of confession makes me feel, how it welcomes me back to the state of grace, how light and joyful it feels! Then I have another question to wonder about.
Our Lord knows well what it is like to lose people. You are in good company with Him! Like Our Lord, we keep the faith ourselves
I am an adult who came into the church by way of RCIA. It was watching my oldest daughter Alana receive her 1st communion that was the graced moment that I felt God calling me to him in the eucharist. I am so glad I said YES.
The sacrament of reconciliation has always been a beautiful experience for me. I continue to grow in my faith by forgiveness. God changes us with his mercy by expanding our hearts to Love as he Love us.
Thank you Fr. Dave for always being compassionate and kind as Jesus. You are a beautiful reflection of Jesus and we ALL appreciate it!
How beautiful that it was your daughter’s communion that inspired you!
“And forgive us as we forgive others…” He is doing His job, we have to do ours.
No wonder that Our Lord included that phrase from the prayer He taught us to say!
I love your reflection, Fr. Dave. For years I fell into a habit of not going to confession. I continued to go to Mass and watch fellow parishioners receive the Eucharist, feeling a sense of emptiness that I was not fully conscious of. That changed when I decided to get married in the Church in 2010. My then fiancée, now husband and I attended the Catholic couples retreat in Santa Barbara. I went to confession for the first time in 20 years. I felt unfettered as though I had released an enormous weight. From that moment, I realized the powerful experience of the sacrament of Confession as a purging and cleansing ritual. I no longer deny myself the graces that come from reconciliation and I have fostered a deeper rapport with our Lord.
What a wise reflection! Thank you for sharing it.
It seems that heaven comes to earth in the act of forgiveness.
As the saying goes, “To err is human, but to forgive is divine”
When we make mistakes or do wrong, we are acting like human beings.
but when we forgive others, then we are acting like God, who is always willing
to forgive.
Yes, forgiveness allows that most wonderful of all events, to start over!
Thank you for the reminder and clarity these reflections bring, Fr Dave. My mom always reminded us of the “70/7 principle.” I often find myself reciting the same as a parent of young adults. Their homecoming is one of the many treasured moments of motherhood and His grace in all our lives.
I am glad to hear that you have experienced the “homecoming” of your children. A very blessed event!