Brokenness that needs healing first with our unconditional open heart in honest conversations with the one who hurts us.  Our hope must be for restoration to wholeness of the person who hurt and harmed us otherwise their wound remains both in them and us.  Truth and love unite people.

When I was a kid, whenever I had small fight with my younger sister, our parents exactly know what to do when a wrong had been committed.  There is something most enjoyable about clearly being the victim, knowing that revenge of some form is well-deserved.  There is a process of reconciliation: first we tell everyone else what happened, and then we wait for the guilty one to get the right punishment and to apologize for what you did wrong.

But Jesus leads us in a different direction in today’s gospel.  Jesus asks us to care deeply for the one who has hurt us and the first thing to do is to ”keep it between you”.  Being corrected is painful for it brings to mind how we have failed, especially those we love.  The challenging part is for us to decide whether the other person has really sinned against us, or are we simply displeased and angry at something someone else said or did.  Our personal sensitivity makes the discernment very difficult.  And the most difficult part is to confront lovingly.  To desire what is best for the other, this requires time and sometimes help from someone.  Jesus says we may ask someone else to moderate it, even bringing it to church.

Today’s gospel is very challenging but really inspiring in a special way to love and care for the one who hurt and sinned against us, transforming not only the wound, but ourselves.  We should examine also ourselves for we are bound to be at both ends of committing sins and harm to other people.  We need to be open to hearing faults pointed to us as well.

The grace is Jesus does not expect us to be alone on our hurts and resentments.  God is with us, walks with us and encourages us.  And with God’s grace and time we may forgive the person who wounded us and in the process, we also free ourselves of the heavy burden we have been carrying.  It may take time however we have to be patient.  We need to beg His mercy for we have also sinned and ask Him to help us to forgive.

May we place all our pain and anger in Jesus’ hands and let us pray together to unite us with love and truth that we may find the path to forgiveness and peace to built upon some kind of reconciliation and care for the common good.  As it is written; “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another”.

Source: Neo Jeremiah Voice of the Young Prophet Newsletter ~ September 10, 2017 issue.