Commentary on the Gospel of
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is telling us about repentance, for the wrongs we have done and the guarantee of God’s mercy and the real virtue of the heart. Such repentance has to be expressed both to God and the person we have hurt. We cannot be reconciled to one and not to the other.
We pray always the Our Father and if we reflect on it fully, we could ask ourselves whether we truly mean the words that we pray. When we say” forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sinned against us”, do we think of those people who has done us wrong or the people whom we hurt and do we really mean that we forgive them and we ask forgiveness to them. For I know that, in God’s part, God truly has forgiven us if are truly sincere in asking forgiveness. Those who wants to be God’s friends must radiate a spirit of forgiveness and such forgiveness requires contrition and atonement.
Jesus came not to destroy the teachings of the Old Testament, but rather, to bring it to perfection. His message goes deeper to just following the letter of the law which the Pharisees were preoccupied with. It is about living a wholesome Christian moral life, and embracing the Gospel values of forgiveness and reconciliation. And the words of Jesus on reconciliation demands acceptance and understanding and God expect likewise for us to give pardon towards others. That is why one should always try to reconcile oneself before it becomes late.
