That Which Deprives Us of Love

Prayer-Soldier · Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 8:20 pm Post subject: That Which Deprives Us of Love

Anger and wrath, these also are abominations, and the sinful man will possess them. He that takes vengeance will suffer vengeance from the Lord, and he will firmly establish his sins. Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray. Does a man harbor anger against another, and yet seek for healing from the Lord? Does he have no mercy toward a man like himself, and yet pray for his own sins? If he himself, being flesh, maintains wrath, who will make expiation for his sins? Remember the end of your life, and cease from enmity, remember destruction and death, and be true to the commandments. Remember the commandments, and do not be angry with your neighbor; remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook ignorance. (Sirach 27:30 - 28:7 RSV)

For none of us lives to himself; and no man dies to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Therefore, whether we live, or whether we die, we belong to the Lord. For to this end Christ died and rose again; that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. (Romans 14:7-9)

Then came Peter unto him and said: Lord, how often shall my brother offend against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus said to him: I say not to you, till seven times; but till seventy times seven times.

Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened to a king, who would take an account of his servants. And when he had begun to take the account, one was brought to him, that owed him ten thousand talents. And as he had not wherewith to pay it, his lord commanded that he should be sold, and his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. But that servant falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay you all. And the lord of that servant being moved with pity, let him go and forgave him the debt.

But when that servant was gone out, he found one of his fellow servants that owed him an hundred pence: and laying hold of him, throttled him, saying: Pay what you owe. And his fellow servant falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay you all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he paid the debt.

Now his fellow servants seeing what was done, were very much grieved, and they came and told their lord all that was done. Then his lord called him; and said to him: You wicked servant, I forgave you all the debt, because you besought me: Should not you then have had compassion also on your fellow servant, even as I had compassion on you? And his lord being angry, delivered him to the torturers until he paid all the debt. So also shall my heavenly Father do to you, if you forgive not every one his brother from your hearts. (Matthew 18:21-35)

It requires strength to not succumb to the temptation to strike back when one is wronged. When harmed, our desire is to extract a price in retribution. We forget in the moment that what we do in vengeance may also draw vengeance. Where does the cycle end if it does not end with us?

Blessed is the one who is capable of forgiveness, for as we forgive, the Lord will yield mercy to us. If we allow our hearts to fill with desires of revenge, we give evil root. Through vengeance, divisions are sown. Through divisions, the children of God are separated from one another. As we turn from each other, we find ourselves turning from His creation and ultimately from Him.

If another continues in the sins of anger and wrath, the Lord will see just as He will see what we do in response. The weak man, in ignorance, finds false strength in intimidation. The strong man, in wisdom guided by the Holy Spirit finds much greater strength in forgiveness and love. The Lord will judge us by the path that we follow. The weak man will tempt us to vengeance, but we will only secure our own weakness if we are not capable of forgiveness.

What we are begins with how the Lord created us, but what we become is derived from the choices we make each day. Our choices are the steps of our journey. If we choose to follow in the steps of God, our decisions will follow the example of the Word. If we choose the ways of the world, we will become the dust of the wind, scattered without substance.

We should not overlook what our choices yield, for what is done in the moment can ripple throughout time. Look what misery befalls the world because of conflicts of generations past. Our divisions are not just driven by decisions of selfishness, but also by decisions which fail to forgive. One choice leads to another and another is driven as well.

Just as our divisions are driven by what we choose to do or fail to do, so too is our opportunity for peace and unity in the body of Christ. Through our decisions of love and selflessness, we remove the source of division and all the anguish driven in its wake.

What can evil do if we do not give it soil in our hearts? If we are consumed in the way of the peace and love of God, evil finds no home. As each heart is taken from it, its strength withers, but if we do not have the strength to offer forgiveness and love to those around us, we allow the conditions for the fires of evil to rage.

We are told that we were made in the image of God; should we, then, not be capable of granting mercy, forgiveness and love? In what image do we change ourselves if we do not follow the example of our Lord and savior? If we let selfishness consume us, if we let vengeance fill us; we let evil change us, we turn from the image in which we were created.

As every action produces a reaction, so too does every harm; but the reaction of each child of God begins with a choice; a choice to act according to the image of God or to act otherwise. We are not called to leave wrongs unaddressed, just as God will not leave our sins unaddressed, but we should remember that forgiveness is the action to which we are called.

If we search our hearts and find vengeance, we should pray that the Holy Spirit remove it from us. We should pray that we do not fall to the weakness of the temptations of retribution, but that we are granted the strength to offer forgiveness and love in its place. We cannot pray to be forgiven of our trespasses if we are unwilling to forgive those who trespass against us. We should remember that for each moment we spend in the anguish of planning revenge, we deprive ourselves of time which could be spent with the joy of love.

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier