Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 16, 2022
Jesus said to his disciples:
“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“This is how you are to pray:
‘Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.’
“If you forgive others their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”
While we may think events occur by happenstance, I know everything happens for a reason. Forty-two years ago when I applied to Notre Dame Law School, my personal essay discussed the Lord’s Prayer focusing on the words “…and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Looking back, I have the unique opportunity to reflect upon how these words have guided my life.
During our earlier years the trespasses we experience generally do not involve serious consequences. The same does not hold true as we mature. Sometimes the trespasses we are called to forgive, or seek forgiveness for, involve the most serious of consequences.
At the outset, Christ’s words empower our exercise of free will. Each one of us alone decides whether or not to forgive those who trespass against us. However, being asked to forgive someone for an extreme loss can cause one to question all aspects of faith.
Over the years, I’ve learned that if you ask the Good Lord for the strength to forgive, your prayer will not go unanswered. Consider those who forgive the person who killed their child or spouse. In addition to losing a loved one, these individuals share a common emotion from forgiving the perpetrator. Without fail, each describes experiencing a sense of peace, a feeling of release from the horrible event, and a strengthened relationship with God.
Every day circumstances will arise which offer us an opportunity to give meaning to our invocation “to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Thankfully, more often than not forgiveness comes easy. In the rare event that truly challenges our ability to forgive, we can choose to rationalize a refusal.
Yet, this is not our request when we pray the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus told the Apostles that whatever they sought in his name that it would be granted to them. So in this vein, when we seek forgiveness, we should willingly grant forgiveness.
Prayer
Lord, your Son taught us to call out to you as our Father. Every time we pray as he taught us, may we realize ever more deeply our dignity as your children, and also the fellowship we share as brothers and sisters in Christ. United ever more closely with each other and with you, may we become a sacrament of communion in our alienated world. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Lutgard is held as one of the greatest female mystics of her age; an encounter with the Lord in a vision changed her life.
She was born in 1182 in the Netherlands. Her father had saved money for her marriage dowry, but lost it in a bad business deal. Fearing that she would never be married, her parents sent her to live in a Benedictine convent.
She was an average girl for her time—she was attractive, liked to dress well, and amused herself with simple things. She did not appear to have a vocation to become a nun, and was allowed to live at the convent like a boarder—she could come and go and receive visitors as she liked.
One day, as she was visiting with a friend, Jesus appeared to her. He showed her his wounds, and asked her to love him alone. She accepted instantly, and changed her life—she turned away from worldly concerns and began to dedicate her energy to prayer and conversion in order to respond to this graced encounter.
The older nuns in the convent saw her fervor and said that it would not last but it only increased. She frequently saw the Lord when she was in prayer, and had a familiarity with him. If she was called away during her prayer, she would simply say, “Wait here, Lord Jesus, and I will come back as soon as I have finished this task.” She also saw Mary and several other saints. Sometimes strange signs accompanied her prayer—she would rise from the ground, or people would notice a strange light above her head.
She often felt like she was poorly responding to the opportunity she had been given to grow in holiness. After 12 years, Lutgard decided to increase her practice of the faith by moving to a convent with a stricter way of life.
Eleven years before she died, she lost her sight. She saw this loss as a gift—as a way to further detach herself from the things of this world. During one appearance, Jesus warned her of her impending death, and instructed her to prepare for it with three practices: to praise God for all she had received; to pray for the conversion of sinners; and to rely on God alone. She did these things and died on the day that was foretold to her, which was on this date in 1246.
Relics of St. Lutgard rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. This painting of her is from the collection at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art on campus, and is used with permission.
St. Lutgard, who became a mystic after being sent to a convent because her dowry was lost in a scam, pray for us!
Image Credit: Anonymous (Czechoslovakian, 16th century), Saint Lutgarde of Aywières, 16th century, oil on panel. Raclin Murphy Museum of Art: Gift of Dr. Lillian Malcove, 1974.091.