Unity Glorifies The Father
by Fr. David M. Knight
March 5, 2024
Tuesday (Week III of Lent)
Lectionary No. 238
Daniel 3:25, 34-43; Psalm 25; Matthew 18:21-35
"For your name’s sake, O Lord…" Daniel 3:34
To pray “Hallowed be your name,” is to say, “‘Bring glory to your name…’ let your glory be made visible in us.”
God’s name expresses who he is. When we who know God pray, we need to be aware of what he has revealed about himself— above all, that he is a God of unity and peace. He is our loving Father, the Savior who loves in us and through us, the Spirit who unites us to God and one another.
Saint Irenaeus taught about the divine Life of grace: “Life in humans is the glory of God; the Life of humans is the vision of God” (Against Heresies, Bk. 4, ch. 20). That Life is made most visible when human weakness is empowered by God. Paul wrote: “Power is made perfect in weakness. So, I will boast of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2Corinthians 12:9).
Forgiving, not retaliating, is the kind of “weakness” that’s reveals the power of God in us. If we reject those who mistreat us, Jesus says, “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother or sister from your heart.”
“Grace, mercy, and peace be with you, in truth and love, from God the Father and from Jesus, the Father’s Son” (2John 3).
ACTION: Make a gesture of friendship towards someone who has wronged you.
PRAYER: “Father, make me willing to forgive others as you forgive me.”
Reflections brought to you by the Immersed in Christ Ministry
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