Link

Azariah stood and offered this prayer; in the midst of the fire he opened his mouth and said: > For your name's sake do not give us up utterly, and do npt break your covenant, and do not withdraw your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham your beloved and for thr sake of Isaac your servant and Israel your holy one, to whom you promised to make their descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as sand on the shore of the sea... God seeks her heart of solicitude and prayer, then he said:

Yet with a contrite heart and a humble spirit may we be accepted, as though it were with burnt offerings of rams and bulls, and with tens of thousands of fat lambs; such may our sacrifice be in your sight this day, and may we wholly follow you, for there will be no shame for those who trust in you.

It is vital that we follow God with all our hearts, we must fear the Lord, and seek his face. But we must look deep into our daily lives identify our faults and be humble to acknowledge them, we must say heartily:

Do not put us to shame, but deal with us in your forbearance and in your abundant mercy. Deliver us in accordance with your marvellous works, and give glory to your name, O Lord!

Link

The prayer offering of Azariah, one of the prophets of God today ushers us into remembering and pleading God's mercy, for Psalm 25 says:

***Remember your compassion, O Lord.

We must plead God to make us know his ways, to teach us his path;for in this,that he may guide us in his truth, and teach us for He is the God of our salvation. We must say meditatively and humbly: Remember your compassion, O Lord, and your merciful love, for they are from of old, and In your merciful love remember me.

It's all about attuning ourselves to the mercy and the compassionate love of God, though sinners we are, we seek a redress, a help, pardon for our sins.

Link

You Wicked Servant!

At that time: Peter came up and said to Jesus,

*"Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and i forgive him? As many as seven times times?
Jesus said to him:
**I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

The concluding part of the story ended with the analogy Christ gave to Peter about the Kingdom of Heaven, who wished to settle account with his servants. He showed mercy on a servant who couldn't pay what he owes and instead of been thrown to be sold into slaver with his family, he listened to his plea and set him free, but the same servant saw a fellow servants who owes him too and couldn't pay what he owes,but instead:

seized him by the throat, he said, 'pay what you owe, he refused and went to put him in prison till he should pay the debt

The king heard about this, and summoned him said to him:

You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant. He delivered him to jailers, till he should pay all his debt.

Link

So also, my heavenly Father will do to everyone of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.

Many of us today,are like this wicked servant, who pleaded in mercy,who couldn't pay what he owes and was pardoned,but he refused another who asked for the same favour, instead he imprisoned a fellow servant. We should remember always that Christ did not pay for what he owes, but he paid for what we owe and couldn't pay. We therefore must be merciful and forgiving, so that we can obtain same, and we that we can be saved from all slavery and yoke sin brings.

Link

Return to Me with all your Heart

Peter thought he was being generous, magnanimous. He would be prepared to forgive his brother up to seven times. The reply he got from Jesus was 'seventy times seven'. In effect, that meant indefinitely. There was to be no limit to forgiveness, just as there is no limit to God's forgiveness of our offences. We are hugely in debt to God on account of our sins, and always in need of his forgiveness.
That was the case with the Israelites, as Azariah, confessed in his prayer in the first reading. Jesus confirms it in the parable of the "Unforgiving Servant." insofar as we need God to forgive us, we should never withhold forgiveness from our neighbour—or from anyone for that matter—if he or she offends us.

Concluding Word!

Cogitate on this:

***Forgiveness is above all a personal choice, a decision of the heart to go against the natural instinct to pay back evil with evil. (Pope John Paul II).

Embrace forgive, be sorry and repent from your sins, for the measure you give is the measure you will receive. Glorify the Lord with your life always.

I LOVE YOU ALL. Peace.