“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

As a part of the “Our Father,” you have probably prayed that line of prayer more times than you can count. But how many times have you stopped to really reflect on that line? Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. We ask the Lord to forgive us as we forgive those who trespass against us. As we forgive.

It makes me stop and ask myself the question: How am I doing with forgiveness? How quick am I to forgive my colleague, my friend, my sister, or my spouse? And do I forgive myself for wrongs I have committed upon confessing them to the Lord? For as we see in today’s Gospel, the measure with which we forgive is how we pray God deals with us.

Thankfully, God in His great mercy has a much greater capacity for forgiveness than our human hearts. I recently came across this great quotation from a homily of Pope Francis:

“God always forgives us. He never tires of this. It’s we who get tired of asking for forgiveness. But HE does not tire of pardoning us. When Peter asked Jesus: ‘How many times must I forgive? Seven times?’—‘Not seven times: seventy times by seven.’ Namely always. That’s how God forgives us: always.”

What a humbling gift from our Father. What a blessing to have a God who loves us so much. Let us run to Him and ask for His mercy, dear sisters. Let us join the Psalmist in praying, “Make me to know thy ways, O Lord. . . . Lead me in thy truth and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation.” Pray with me that our hearts would be softened, and that we would grow in our capacity to be merciful towards not only others, but ourselves. Ask God to open your heart to receiving His great mercy and love. This is His desire for you in this Lenten season.

What are you waiting for?

Elise Howe is a devoted wife, expectant mother and musician currently living in NYC, though she will always be a midwestern gal at heart. You can find out more about her here.