Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

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Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."

Today’s Gospel calls us to forgive, something that seems like such a difficult task to complete within our lives today. Now, I’m sure I speak for many when I say that at times, it is hard to forgive those who have wronged us, be it someone we just met, all the way to the closest people in our lives. This may be due to a sense of pride or hatred that we hold near to us when considering what they have done to offend us. We must ask ourselves: what exactly are we holding in our heart that is allowing us to prevent the act of forgiveness to take shape within the relationships of our lives? Whatever it may be, whatever may stray us away from mercy, we then must let it go. For as Jesus teaches us within this Gospel, “...if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” The prayer of the Our Father, also used in today’s Gospel, reaches to God in order to forgive not only our sins, but those who have sinned against us. There is only so much we can do in order to seek God’s mercy through wishing his forgiveness unto our sins, but we must further extend that branch to the people in our lives who are waiting for our forgiveness to them. We must be open towards forgiveness and mercy and resent the temptation to hold grudges or hesitate on the act of forgiveness if we wish to seek God’s forgiveness. And so, as we proceed with the weeks of Lent, a time for reflection and preparation, let us pray for a world where we can be willing to let go of whatever prevents us from forgiving our neighbor and in doing so, let us pray that the Lord will guide us in this journey towards mercy on our sins and the sins of those in our lives.

Anthony Cerulli, SFC '24