Loving and Forgiving are you oh lord... Slow to anger, Rich in Kindness, Loving and forgiving are you...

One of the psalters that was sung on a sunday morning mass.

It just brought me back to what happen in the end of last year, and what began this year.
When a fellow brother of mine told me that I have lost my heart of worship, my first reaction was... And like what the hell, who gave you the right to judge me and to proclaim that i've lost the heart of worship. Then it lead down to the spiraling journey to hell. I felt i lost all, there is no more sanctuary left in this church which i know, people whom i knew betrayed me.

But now, when I look back, I realised what an ass I've been... Rather than ranting and bitching about how hypocritical my fellow brothers and sisters were, I left out god's message of love and forgiveness. I've been accusing others of being hypocrites, where I'm a hypocrite myself, accusing others of what I've been doing.

1 corinthians 13:4-7

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Jesus calls us to love and to forgive 70x7 times. I think in the context of what the lord was saying that we should forgive our fellow brothers and sisters unconditionally. And to love and to trust them back in return, even if it means getting ourselves hurt trusting them in the process once more.

And what is love? I guesse 1 corinthians 13:4-7 states it perfectly

Are we patient with one another, or we lose our cool and the next brother or sister who step on our toes we give him or her a bloody scolding just because he or she did the wrong thing again

Are we kind to one another, even if he or she made a mistake continuously are we kind in our actions in telling them that they are wrong? Or do we give them the harsh stare and harsh treatment?

Are we still easily angered when we say we love our brothers and sisters, do we speak ill of their mistakes and condemn them when we say we love them? Are our actions with love or are they of indifference and hatred?

Many of my friends also asked me this question, why should you forgive your brothers and sisters even if they keep making the same mistakes? And some of them even went to the extent of quoting scripture like this, did not Jesus say that when your brother still refuses to listen to you, you should treat him like a pagan or tax collector(a.k.a as an outcast of the community) But then again, how did Jesus treats the outcasts? He feasts and dine with them, for he says this. It is not to the perfectly healthy that i come, it is the sick who needs healing. He loves the outcasts even more, what more is there to be expected from those of us who are following his footsteps?

And one more thing, I think we ourselves make mistakes too. Why should we hold the faults of our brothers and sisters when our Lord holds non of them against us? And if we look into ourselves, we make the same mistakes too in the past, are we perfect in ourselves? Who gives us the right to judge them and condemn them just because of their faults? Aren't we ourselves imperfect too? Think of all the times that we did something dirty and that we think no one is looking? God already saw that and he forgives you for it. And I think the sins that we have committed against god is unsurmountable, but he stills forgives us and loves us,

So why cant we love as God has love us? Why cant we forgive as he forgive? Have we even start trying and asking him for the grace to do so?

God bless you all who come across this entry, may his peace and love befall upon you all