Today’s reading is Luke 17: 1-13

Today we see Jesus teaching about forgiveness.  He tells the disciples that if someone sins against them and they repent and ask forgiveness seven times, you must forgive them. Why seven?  That’s a powerful number in Jewish tradition, the number of days of creation.  So, if someone sins against you that many times and each time asks you to forgive them, you must do it.

And what do the disciples say?  Lord, increase our faith!

Forgiveness is hard. Really hard. And we can’t do it apart from Jesus.  Forgiveness is not an “act of will.”  It is an act of grace.  It is something that only happens through the power and grace of Jesus Christ.  We can’t truly “make” ourselves forgive.  We can move on. We can move past.  We can let go. But to forgive?  To even love?  That’s an act of grace. And that act of grace only comes through Gods’ grace given to us.

Today if we are in need of forgiving, our prayer should be that of the disciples.  Lord, increase my faith!  And the Lord, through His grace, will give us that grace.

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