"Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk?'" (Mt9:4-5)
Indeed. The first wall that i walk into when lead by my own selfish mind is self-made. Blocks of doubt, fear, regret, laziness and more. It seems the older one gets, the bigger the blocks become and the more impenetrable the fortress 'Me' becomes. When someone does something against my beliefs, my desires, my expectations, do i immediately judge and 'harbour evil thoughts'? So very often, i confess.
Forgive others as i am forgiven, we pray to God. Do i mean it? Am i aware how often evil thoughts pop into my mind: thoughts, maybe an unkind word or even a regretful action? Me thinks half the battle is being aware of these evil thoughts! If aware, i may not be able to stop them from becoming an unkind word, but at least i can stay my own hand from 'throwing a stone'. If aware, i may even be able to quiet my tongue. If aware, that unkind thought as a result of being afraid, shocked or outraged can be soothed with a prayer for forgiveness. If aware, i hope to stand firm in the light of love and peace and joy to which we are all called through and in and with the holy Trinity.
I may not be able to help a crippled man rise and walk, but i can forgive trespasses to me as i am forgiven my own mistakes.
As an afterthought, 'sin' i define as that which separates us from God and builds up the ego, something said or done to create distance from that which is good, that which is not helpful to us or our neighbour. Are sin and illness linked? Perhaps. Stress, violence, negativity all create fertile ground for illness to grow, flourish and be sustained. Kamma (Karmha) perhaps too, what one has done in ones past, will be righted in the present: how one acts can either maintain the sin or illness, or set the stage for change, for standing up and walking away from a past identity that was not helpful. Forgiveness makes that change easier. Forgiveness creates room to breath, for taking a new look at things, for considering new possibilities and making new personal choices. 'Forgive and forget' we hear. There is much wisdom in this seemingly pithy statement!
Deo gratias.
Indeed. The first wall that i walk into when lead by my own selfish mind is self-made. Blocks of doubt, fear, regret, laziness and more. It seems the older one gets, the bigger the blocks become and the more impenetrable the fortress 'Me' becomes. When someone does something against my beliefs, my desires, my expectations, do i immediately judge and 'harbour evil thoughts'? So very often, i confess.
Forgive others as i am forgiven, we pray to God. Do i mean it? Am i aware how often evil thoughts pop into my mind: thoughts, maybe an unkind word or even a regretful action? Me thinks half the battle is being aware of these evil thoughts! If aware, i may not be able to stop them from becoming an unkind word, but at least i can stay my own hand from 'throwing a stone'. If aware, i may even be able to quiet my tongue. If aware, that unkind thought as a result of being afraid, shocked or outraged can be soothed with a prayer for forgiveness. If aware, i hope to stand firm in the light of love and peace and joy to which we are all called through and in and with the holy Trinity.
I may not be able to help a crippled man rise and walk, but i can forgive trespasses to me as i am forgiven my own mistakes.
As an afterthought, 'sin' i define as that which separates us from God and builds up the ego, something said or done to create distance from that which is good, that which is not helpful to us or our neighbour. Are sin and illness linked? Perhaps. Stress, violence, negativity all create fertile ground for illness to grow, flourish and be sustained. Kamma (Karmha) perhaps too, what one has done in ones past, will be righted in the present: how one acts can either maintain the sin or illness, or set the stage for change, for standing up and walking away from a past identity that was not helpful. Forgiveness makes that change easier. Forgiveness creates room to breath, for taking a new look at things, for considering new possibilities and making new personal choices. 'Forgive and forget' we hear. There is much wisdom in this seemingly pithy statement!
Deo gratias.
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