Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time, August 17, 2023

Readings can be found by clicking this link.

So will my heavenly Father do to you,

unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart."

Reflection

Why can't people just be kind? What causes us to sin? Are we the same person in our childhood years, as in our adult years?

I think the toughest years of a child's life are between 13-17 years of age. These years encompass a tremendous amount of change. Some children handle these changes better than others. There are numerous ways that psychologist have tried to explain why some children can go through life more smoothly than others.

A psychologist could state that, because a child did not have both parents present, that this is why he or she is acting out and causing problems. However, there could be another child somewhere in the world with the same circumstances and they are perfectly okay and are happy. Children are all different. We are all different. God sees this and understands, however He still wants us to be the best version of ourselves.

Why do some people have a more sensitive conscience than others? Why do some people have a more gentle heart than others? Both of these questions are subjective. What is our standard for the conscience and the heart?

When someone hurts a person, what happens? When a child is cruel to another child because they are different and says harsh words, what does that actually do to the child who is different? Do those harsh words hurt the conscience, the heart or something else? So, if someone hurt me when I was a child, and the same feelings of hurt come up as an adult, how many times have I had to forgive that person for hurting me? Why do I need to forgive so many times? Have I still not forgiven from my heart?

Lord Jesus, please help each of us to forgive from our heart.