Let’s Treat One Another With Forgiveness

October 10, 2019 by Mary

Forgive us our trespasses…
From Matthew 6:12

While shopping for Halloween candy, I ran into a young teacher I know. We chatted as she gathered treats for her students. Afterward, my thoughts turned to my first year teaching and our class Halloween Party…

Three students distinguished themselves behavior-wise early on. These third graders couldn’t keep themselves in line; they weren’t quiet for more than three minutes and they couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. By Wednesday before our party, they’d pushed beyond my minimal limits. That afternoon, I informed them that they wouldn’t attend our class party. Crestfallen, they moped their way out of school that day. Thursday before school, they enjoyed the playground until they saw me. My presence likely reminded them that they’d be sitting in the principal’s office the following afternoon. Their skips became slow walks and their smiling eyes clouded over as they focused on the black-top beneath their feet.

As I consider my own imperfections, I find myself moping like my wayward students who did their best to spoil Halloween for themselves that year. It was up to me to maintain an orderly classroom and to enforce appropriate rules. Still, I couldn’t help noting that my three outcasts were quite subdued the day before our party. By Friday morning, I hardly noticed them as they’d joined in their classmates’ cooperative efforts. An hour after lunch, my three friends gathered their supplies for their stay in the principal’s office. My heart ached for them as I asked, “Do you know why you’re leaving?” Each one nodded. “What are you going to do about it?” I asked. “Be good!” they said in unison. With that, I led them back to their desks to join in the festivities.

Jesus made his feelings regarding forgiveness quite clear. How could I ignore them?

Merciful God, thank you for teaching us to forgive.

Loved, No Matter What!

September 9, 2019 by Mary

My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, whom you will always love.
Inspired by Psalm 51:17

“You are much harder on yourself than anyone else would ever be!” my dad observed.

I knew he was right. I’ve been convinced of God’s love for me since I was a little girl. Still, when I’m in error and have done something which I deem unforgivable, though the rest of the world views this otherwise, I’m inconsolable. As a child, I hid in my room or in our backyard. As I grew older, I hid in busyness, good deeds and anything else which would distract me from my guilt. Yes, since childhood, it’s been almost impossible for me to forgive myself for being human.

The good news is that God has intervened in my foolishness. God has used the wisdom of the psalmist cited above, my forgiving parents, a perceptive priest, a kind teacher (Remember Sister Imelda whom I wrote about yesterday?), an understanding sibling, my aunts, my friends, my spouse, my children and grandchildren again and again to reach me. Each time, these helpful souls have reminded me in a variety of ways that I’m NOT expected to be perfect, but only to do my best as best I can. Each time, I sigh with relief, gratitude and the resolve to remember that I am loved and forgiven -ALWAYS!

Patient God, thank you for your mercy and for the wonderful people who offer numerous reminders of the mercy which you send my way today and always.

M… Mercy!

June 12, 2019 by Mary

…his father caught sight of him and was deeply moved.
He ran out to meet him,
threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.
Luke 15:20

M is for Mercy. God’s merciful love is the source of all of our hope. Of all of the characteristics Jesus exhibited, I find mercy to be the most powerful. Jesus taught mercy masterfully in his interactions with others. Then, he underscored those lessons with the mercy he extended to all, especially the isolated souls disdained by everyone else. To insure that we appreciated his every word and deed in this regard, Jesus offered the unforgettable Parable of the Prodigal Son. If any of us question our ability to be lovingly and mercifully forgiven, this story dispels all doubt.

In Jesus’ community, a request for an early inheritance insulted a parent gravely. The offending child essentially demanded, “Behave as though you are dead so I can have my money.” According to the parable, in spite of his son’s selfishness and disregard for his feelings, that father gave his son what he asked. The son responded by leaving town and squandering every cent. The young man had reached rock bottom when he eventually found work tending swine. In the end, he realized his wrong-doing and returned home to beg his father to allow him to work as a servant. As Luke’s passage tells us, this father would have none of it. At the sight of his son, mercy and love filled up the man who embraced his wayward child to welcome him home.

God promises the same reception to you and to me no matter what!

Merciful God, thank you!

Forgive and Heal…

March 9, 2019 by Mary

His father caught sight of him,
and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
Luke 15:20

Forgiveness is a tough topic. Forgiveness is multifaceted. It includes giving and receiving forgiveness from others and giving and receiving forgiveness from ourselves. Though I once thought forgiving others is the tough part, I’ve discovered that receiving the forgiveness of others is difficult as well. Most difficult I think is accepting forgiveness from myself. When I accept forgiveness from anyone, I acknowledge that I’ve done wrong. This isn’t easy…

I’ve wrestled with forgiveness since childhood. As a child, I judged myself. This judgment was harsh and final. Because I viewed myself this way, it was difficult to accept that anyone else would view me more lovingly. It was only when I looked to Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son that I finally understood. That young man’s father echoed what God has spoken to each one of us since we took our first breaths: Silly child! I canceled your entire debt long before you turned my way for forgiveness. Dear child, deal as mercifully with yourself as I deal with you. Deal as mercifully with your sisters and brothers as I deal with you! Forgive and be healed!

Jesus’ parable says it all. We are a much-loved and generously forgiven people. With that knowledge in hand, God invites us to for give when necessary and to heal one another and this world as only we can!

Loving God, thank you!

M is for Mercy

February 19, 2019 by Mary

While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him and was deeply moved.
He ran out to meet him,
threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.
Luke 15:20

M is for Mercy. Of all of the characteristics Jesus exhibited, I find mercy to be the most powerful. Jesus taught mercy masterfully through his interactions with others. He underscored these lessons with his unconditional love for those whom he met along the way. Jesus solidified all of this with the endearing image of God which he offered in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. If any of us question our ability to be lovingly and mercifully forgiven, this story dispels all doubt…

In Jesus’ community, a request for an early inheritance insulted a parent gravely. The offending child essentially demanded, “Behave as though you’re dead so I can have my money.” According to the parable, in spite of his son’s selfishness and disregard for his feelings, that father gave his son what he asked. The son responded by leaving town and squandering every cent. When he was left to find work tending swine, the young man had reached rock bottom. In the end, he realized his wrong-doing and returned home to work for his father as a servant. He knew he was unworthy and undeserving of anything more. As the passage from Luke tells us, this father would have none of it. At the sight of his son, mercy and love filled up the man and spilled out onto this child whom he welcomed home with an embrace.

Though Jesus revealed God’s love for us in everything he said an did, Jesus revealed God’s essence in this simple story of mercy.

Merciful God, your willingness to forgive us everything and to love us in spite of it all is more than we could ever have hoped for. Thank you!

M is for…

June 13, 2018 by Mary

…his father caught sight of him and was deeply moved.
He ran out to meet him,
threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.
Luke 15:20

I’ve repeated yesterday’s scripture passage with very good reason…

M is for Mercy. Of all of characteristics of God which Jesus revealed, I find God’s all-inclusive love to be the most powerful. An extremely close second is God’s mercy. To be certain that his message was crystal clear, Jesus taught mercy first through his interactions with others. Jesus extended mercy generously to all, especially the isolated souls disdained by everyone else. To underscore his every word in this regard, Jesus offered the unforgettable Parable of the Prodigal Son. If any of us question our worthiness of God’s love and mercy, this story definitively assures us that, indeed, God deems each one of us worthy.

Jesus begins the parable with a son’s request to be given his inheritance early. Among Jesus contemporaries, such a request gravely insulted a parent. The offending child essentially demanded, “Behave as though you’re dead so I can have my money.” According to the parable, in spite of his son’s selfishness and disregard for his feelings, that father gave his son what he asked. The son responded by leaving town and squandering every cent. The young man had reached rock bottom when he found work tending swine. In the end, he realized his wrong-doing and returned home to beg his father to allow him to work as a servant. As Luke’s passage tells us, this father would have none of it. At the sight of his son, mercy and love flowed from the man who embraced his wayward child and welcomed him home.

God promises the same reception to you and to me regardless of how frequently it is required…

Loving and Merciful God, thank you!

Mary Penich

Author & Speaker

Tag Archives: Contrition