13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
What should we who are followers of Jesus look like?
The answer is above. It is not easy to be a Christian. We try to be holy and kind, not proud or arrogant, to have compassion for others, and to keep going when it’s hard. The forgiving part is more difficult. Christ forgave us, who are sinners. Jesus forgave those who were nailing him to the cross.
We sometimes don’t want to forgive people in our own families! Lack of forgiveness causes problems in families, neighborhoods, communities and nations. Even when we try to do the right thing, someone can be hurt.
One of my friends was the only girl in the family and as an adult stayed in the home with her parents, helping out where she could, but worked in a low-paying job. The boys in the family, on the other hand, were married and worked in occupations that paid well, had good homes, and no financial worries. When her parents died, she inherited the house, which was also an income property. Their resentment was so strong, that when one of the brothers died, she was not allowed to stand in the receiving line at the wake. It took almost twenty years for the other brother to speak to her.
Because they couldn’t forgive the parents, they took it out on her.
How many others turn their lack of forgiveness to the undeserved! Neighborhoods can be split because someone takes the side of the innocent; whole groups of people can be targeted because of the actions of a few.
Jesus died for the guilty and the innocent. He did not judge. We are called to forgive those who sin against us if we want God to forgive us.
We need to remember this as we pray.
Our Father, who art in heaven, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Amen.
