Fr Ben Garren

Dear Siblings in Christ,

The Lord’s Prayer brings us into a cycle where we must come to forgive others. This movement of our hearts is named as the mechanism by which we will receive forgiveness.

The extent to which we are open for others to be transformed to wholeness is the extent to which we are inviting this transformation into our own lives. If we are unwilling to see another transformed by God’s love then there is some part of us that is rejecting that same transformation.

Today in the Lenten Lectionary we are presented with the parable of the servant who had all forgiven by his master, who had this chance to be transformed by the mercy offered to him. Instead, this closed his heart to mercy, made him feel as if life had no consequences. Instead of being transformed by love he was stuck in a longing for power.

When he failed to provide mercy for those indebted to him, he suddenly faced full judgement for all he had done wrong. If our hearts are not transformed for the hope of others to embrace a love of mercy amidst justice, then mercy amidst justice cannot transform our hearts.

We have oriented our hearts towards God, grounded our understanding of self in having our daily bread. The next prayer is seeking for others to encounter this same sense of peace.

Especially then can we hope for this peace, for this knowledge of God’s love, for those we have the hardest time loving. If we can, then we are growing deeper into God’s love.

Pax,

— Ben