When you fall in love with someone, you can’t stop thinking about him; you look for every opportunity to be with her; you look for ways to show your love for him; you want to tell everyone else all about her. So I had to ask myself:
How often does Jesus occupy my thoughts; how frequently do I seek ways to spend time with him; do I look for ways to show him my love; do I find myself telling others about him and how much he means to me?
“And forgive us the wrong we have done, as we forgive those who have wronged us (New American Bible).” “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors (New Revised Standard Version).” “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us (Original Revised Standard Version).”
Each translation seems to give us a view from a slightly different angle. The first one focuses on the sins we’ve committed against God, and the sins others have committed against us. Violations of God’s commandments. The second one emphasizes the repentance we owe to God, and the repentance owed to us by others. A kind of spiritual accounting. The third one highlights the boundaries we have crossed in our offenses against God, and the boundaries others have crossed in offending us. Entering places where we don’t belong.
Nonetheless Jesus did say more, knowing that we are children with such limited understanding, and that few have the depth of faith of a Teresa.
We begin by addressing God as “Our Father”; not My Father. From the origin of humanity, God intended that we be a people – not a collection of individual persons (Genesis 2:18). God is the Father of the entire human race. “When we cry, Abba, Father, it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom. 8:15).” He means us to know him intimately. What could be more intimate than calling him Father, or more accurately, Daddy, for that is what the Hebrew word Abba means. “And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father’ (Gal. 4:6).” And so we dare to cry out to him as a little child, Daddy!
“I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”
Lord, you humbled yourself in taking on human form, even to the point of being born as a helpless baby. How can I seek anything other than the last place in all things?
Lord, you studied and learned and grew in wisdom and understanding as a young man. How can I ignore the study of Scripture and the teachings of the Church or the pursuit of knowledge and Truth?
Lord, you were obedient to the Father in everything, and prayed that His will be done, not yours. How can I be disobedient in any measure, and prefer my will to yours?
Lord, you chose to live in poverty. How can I seek wealth and possessions or be attached to anything of this world?
Lord, you spent your life in obscurity and simplicity, earning a living by the work of your hands. How can I pursue a path in life and career that can increase my visibility in the eyes of the world and promise recognition for my achievements?
Lord, you preferred to associate with the poor, the sick, the widow, the blind, the lame, the outcasts of society. How can I seek to associate with the strong, the wealthy, the popular, the esteemed of society?
Lord, you prayed and fasted for 40 days in the desert; many times you prayed through the night. How can I pray sparingly, go through the motions of prayer, or neglect prayer altogether, and resist the need to fast?
Lord, you chose celibacy and lived a perfectly chaste life. How can I indulge in wrongful sexual desires in my thoughts, words, or actions?
Lord, you were tempted by the devil repeatedly but never sinned. How can I so easily give in to the temptations of the Evil One?
Lord, you chose homelessness during your years of mission and ministry and had nowhere to lay your head? How can I seek the comforts and privacy of a home, and be unwilling to open it to others in hospitality and generosity?
Lord, you embraced the role of an itinerant rabbi with no title or position of honor. How can I seek positions of influence and esteem in order to be well regarded by others?
Lord, you came to spread the Good News of the Kingdom of God on earth. How can I value any other mission more highly?
Lord, you healed those who came to you and delivered those in bondage. How can I deny those who come to me for help in any form?
Lord, you suffered silently when falsely accused, publicly mocked, and physically tortured. How can I complain about any treatment of injustice?
Lord, you gave your life for us. How can I hold back any aspect of mine? You poured out your life’s blood for us. How can I retain anything in my cup?
Lord, you forgave even your persecutors, those who reviled you, condemned you and executed you. How can I continue to bear grudges, harbor vengeance, hold on to anger, or demand conditions for my mercy.
Lord, you forgave your disciples who abandoned you, betrayed you, and denied you. How can I hold on to resentments and withhold my love from those who have wronged me, or refuse forgiveness to those who have hurt me?
Lord, you are the Master, and I am your servant. Grant that I may more fully follow in your footsteps as I seek to be your disciple, your brother, and your friend.
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father, I have made known to you.
John 15:15 New international version
