Daily Lenten Reflection: 2/23/2021

We are so blessed to have a good Father in Heaven, who cares for us so deeply and loves us unconditionally. In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us the beautiful prayer we recite at every Mass: the Our Father. In praying this, we acknowledge our identity as children of God and we rejoice in the fact that we belong to the same family, the Church. In this prayer, we worship God, seek forgiveness, and ask for our lives to align with His most perfect will.

Jesus also stresses the importance of forgiveness in this prayer. This does not always come easy in life. We often get upset with one another, hold grudges and refuse to forgive. Sometimes we want to forgive others but have a hard time letting go of the things that hurt us. However, the more that we hold onto these things that hurt us, the more we are ultimately hurting ourselves. Jesus comes to free us from that burden. Because He forgives each one of us our many sins, we too must forgive our brothers and sisters when they sin against us. During this Lenten season, we meditate on Jesus’ ultimate example of forgiveness. While He was dying on the cross, He said, ’forgive them for they know not what they do.’ (Luke 23:34) He humbled himself to forgive even the people who put Him to death.

Today, think of the person in your life that you need to forgive. Ask Jesus to give you the grace and strength you need to truly let go and forgive that person in your heart. Remember that when”you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.” In turn, you will receive great peace and healing.