Monday of the Second Week

Reflection

Think about the times you have sinned in your life. Were they always unintentional? Were some intentional? Sometimes, turning away from God seems as if it’s the “easier” choice. It’s easy to live mindlessly without giving thought to our actions and how they present us as children of God, but the challenge is in sticking to our faith and continuing to make choices that show our love for God and for others.

The phrase “children of God” is not just a simple saying. We are exactly that, children learning from our mistakes and striving to follow His example of love. “We have sinned, been wicked and done evil; we have rebelled and departed from Your commandments and Your laws.”  But God is always watching, He is always listening to our prayers, and He is always willing to forgive if we decide to turn to Him.

It is our choices that make us people of God. We all make choices that are good and bad. We’re human and we sin, but that does not mean we should judge the choices of others. In order to be people of God, we must act like such, which means we should open our hearts to forgiveness, compassion and understanding. We will be so much happier if we make the right choices for ourselves and give others the forgiveness we would like to be given to us which Jesus stresses in Luke’s Gospel. Seek forgiveness in God for bad choices and forgive others for theirs.

Prayer

Lord, guide us with Your love and help us to act through You. Let us love and forgive as You do. Help us to see others as You see them, with open hearts and great blessings. Help us to see ourselves as You do, with open hearts, great blessings, and worthy of forgiveness. 

Lauren Murphy, ‘15

Scripture
First Reading: Daniel 9:4b-10

Psalm 79:8-9, 11-13

Gospel: Luke 6:36-38

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website