“The Lord is kind and merciful
Slow to anger and rich in compassion”

Dear Friends:

These words of today’s responsorial psalm reminds us of God’s goodness to us. They are very important words to recall in a world where we are surrounded by hate, crime, war, poverty and injustices of all kinds. They are important words to recall when we look at our own condition – our weakness and sinfulness.

Still, the Lord’s words stand. He is the same for ever and remains the faithful one, the one who does not take back his promises. To be reminded of his goodness is as essential to our lives as the food and drink we take in order to survive.

The whole Church cannot survive without gathering around the Lord’s table again and again, to be reminded of his goodness and to give praise to the Father for what he has done in sending his beloved Son to us, Christ our Saviour.

Our God is a God who loves us, who is kind and merciful, slow to anger and rich in compassion. This truth we have been sent to proclaim, this truth is at the heart of every evangelization. This truth is what we celebrate day after day.

In the grace of God may we all reflect this truth in our own lives so that we will lead others to Christ, especially those who might have lost contact with the Church because of negative and hurtful experiences, personal indifferences or bad example of others.

Jesus calls on us in today’s gospel reading “to forgive your brother or sister from your heart” because God the Father forgives each one of us from the heart, which is the heart of his Son Jesus Christ.

“Forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us”.