God Never Forgets You — And Neither Should We
Dear Parish Family,
As we celebrate National Grandparents Day the theme this year is a beautiful promise from God: “I will never forget you.” (Isaiah 49:15) I think that message fits our Sunday readings very well.
The first reading from Sirach speaks directly about forgiveness. It reminds us that “wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight.” (Sirach 27:30) It then gives us some very practical advice: “Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.” (Sirach 28:2)
Then Peter asks Jesus a question we might all ask: “How many times do I have to forgive someone who hurts me? Seven times?” Jesus answers, “Not seven times but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:22) In other words, don’t keep count.
That can be hard. Some hurts are small. Others stay with us for years. Sometimes the person we need to forgive isn’t even sorry. But Jesus still asks us to forgive not because what happened didn’t matter, but because He doesn’t want anger and bitterness to take over our hearts.
Think about how often God has forgiven us. We come to Confession carrying our sins, and the Lord meets us with mercy. He doesn’t ask us to earn His forgiveness. He gives it to us. And then He asks us to show that same mercy to others.
I think our grandparents and elderly parishioners have much to teach us about this. Many of them have lived through difficult times like war, sickness, financial struggles, the loss of loved ones, and family problems. Some have watched children or grandchildren walk away from the faith. Yet they kept praying. They kept going. They kept the faith. Many of us learned our first prayers from a grandparent. We learned to say grace before meals, to go to Mass, to pray the Rosary, and to trust in God.
That is a gift we should never take for granted.
So, this Week I encourage you to do something simple.
Call a grandparent.
Visit an elderly relative.
Stop and talk with an older parishioner.
If someone you love has gone before us, pray for them and tell their stories to your children and grandchildren. Keep their memory alive.
And if there is someone you need to forgive, begin there too. You don’t have to have everything figured out. Just ask God to help you take the first step.
And please, come to Confession. The Lord is always ready to welcome us home.
The Psalm gives us a beautiful reminder of who God is: “The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger and rich in compassion.” (Psalm 103:8) That is the God we come to worship.
He has not forgotten our grandparents.
He has not forgotten the elderly.
He has not forgotten those who feel alone.
And He has not forgotten you.
May we never forget one another.
Let’s Pause & Reflect:
1. Who is someone I need to forgive? What is one small step I can take this week toward letting go of the hurt and asking God for the grace to forgive?
2. What did a grandparent teach me about faith? How can I pass that lesson on to someone younger?
3. Who might be feeling forgotten? Is there an elderly relative, neighbor, or parishioner I can call, visit, or simply spend some time with this week?
With prayers and every blessing.