forgiving your way into the promised land
“The waters flowing from upstream halted, backing up in a solid mass for a very great distance indeed.” —Joshua 3:16
In today’s first Mass reading, the people of God finally set foot in the Promised Land for the first time (Jos 3:17). At last, they were free from slavery in Egypt. However, it was easier for God to get the people out of Egypt than it was to get the slavery of Egypt out of the people. Accomplishing that took Jesus’ coming to earth, His Passion, death, and Resurrection.
One reason it was so hard to get the slavery of Egypt out of the people is unforgiveness. Unforgiveness is a dam that we make which backs up in us a reservoir of tortures (see Mt 18:34), such as bitterness, malice, and hatred. Blocked by the dam of unforgiveness, they cannot escape from within us.
Forgiving from the heart, a decision of the will, is what releases us from “the slavery of Egypt.” The effects of the “torturers” are released (Mt 18:34) by our heartfelt forgiveness; the life-giving waters flow freely again in our lives. The “sediment” of hatred and rage (see Gal 5:19-21) flows out of our lives. When we forgive from the heart, the dam blocking these tortures is broken, and we enter into the freedom of the Promised Land. If, however, we choose to persist in unforgiveness, we keep the dam in place. Thereby, we go from dammed up to just plain damned, for the Father will treat us as we have treated others (Mt 18:35). Decide to forgive from your heart today. Enter the freedom of the Promised Land.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, work Your miracles of forgiveness. Bring us and the people to whom we minister into Your land of promise.
Promise: “My heavenly Father will treat you in exactly the same way unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.” —Mt 18:35
Praise: St. Maximilian’s zealous devotion to Jesus and Mary gave him the strength to endure hard labor, cruelty, and martyrdom.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
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