Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time– July 25th, 2010

Reflection on the Word by Fr. Jerry

Genesis 18:20-32(111C); Psalm 138; Colossians 2:12-14; Luke 11:1-13

Reconciliation with God and each other.

                A week ago, as I began to direct a Retreat at Lindenwood for what I titled “Spirituality of Proclamation”.  A friend of mine, Sr. Nola, died at the age of 98.  She was such a spirited and faithful woman of faith and action for 75 yrs of Service to the Lord as a Poor Handmaid of Jesus Christ.  In that last couple of years, knowing that her time was rather short before she would come face to face with her God, she desired to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation often, just so she was ready to the best of her ability to receive the Lord.  She did!

                Continuing the readings of last Sunday from the Books of Genesis, the Letter of Paul to the Colossians and the Gospel of Luke; we have a sense that Abraham, Paul, and the Lukan Community continue to show the relationship of God with the human conditions need for mercy and forgiveness.

                In Genesis, Abraham argues with the Lord for the sake of the people.  Abraham is determined that as long as there is one person that is living a holy and just life that God would grant forgiveness and mercy to the entire nation.  Granted he begins with a multitude and then just in case settles with the Lord that if the Lord only finds a couple that He will still grant mercy.

                In Colossians;  St. Paul states that Christ has brought us to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.

                In the Gospel of Luke we have a rendition of the Lord’s Prayer.  In this Prayer is found the conditions of mutual relationship with Christ and through Christ to others.  It is the Lord who says; “forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us”.  This is a simple and direct prayer.  It does not ramble on with excuses nor so deep seeded mystery.  It is rather a  prayer that goes into the fiber of life as is the hearing of the words from the Resurrected Lord to Peter: “Do you love me? If we can say: “Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you” then he will invite us to follow him.

                May each of us, as did Sr. Nola, trust in the loving presence of our merciful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  May we come to know daily how we spend this mercy and healing of self and one another with confident assurance. May we, in our Spirituality, proclaim  that the sins we have committed or will, have truly been nailed to the Cross of our ultimate and eternal Savior and Redeemer.