Gospel Reflections #32: Jesus Forgave us in Love

Matthew 6:12 Forgive us our trespasses, as we also have forgiven those who trespass against us."

This is one of the words of the Lord's Prayer. I have realized how difficult it is to forgive, so I took the time to face it, asking God this time. I felt that this word is not that we are forgiven because of our act of forgiveness, but how we forgive is important.

Forgiveness is not crying ourselves to sleep, it is not chalking up the other person's responsibility or just making up with them.

Just as Jesus forgave our debt "with his life," so too did he release us with his life when we were completely unaware of our debt.

Those of us who have experienced how Jesus forgave us will choose to forgive in His way. Jesus' way is love! It is the way of encompassing with love. All forgiveness is based on God's love, which comes without merit.

This is how I received the word. As Jesus forgave us in love, we may not be able to forgive those who are indebted to us, but we choose the side of forgiveness in Jesus' way.

So free our hearts that are bound by unforgiveness and hatred.

Not forgiving others means that we ourselves are not liberated.

Those who are forgiven by God's love are given the grace to forgive.

It is all a gift of God's grace.

Jesus died for us as well as for those who owe us.

Why don't we reflect on how much we too are forgiven by God, because this is how much we are so loved and all the people who have hurt us?

---

This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, a devoted student of the Bible who passionately embraces the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on the Gospels as a way to reach out to others and spread the message of Jesus. We're sharing her message here so that you too can experience the joy that comes from the Gospel that fills her heart