November 13, Monday, Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin
Daily Readings: Wisdom 1: 1-7; Luke 17: 1-6
Forgiveness is the one characteristic that marks the uniqueness of Christianity.
Jesus, in today’s Gospel, gives two important teachings. The first one is that you won’t be a scandal to others. The second one is the demand for forgiveness until repentance. These two are interconnected. Let’s go from second to first. Jesus demands his followers forgive the enemy until he repents of his mistakes.
We can see St. John Paul II as an example of this forgiveness. St. John Paul II was shot in front of his general audience. John Paul II survived, and the assailant went to prison, but John Paul II not only forgave him but also requested the government release him.
Jesus’ forgiveness on the cross made the centurion say, “He is a son of man." Forgiveness brings repentance. As followers of Jesus, we are not requested but demanded to forgive.
Jesus’ first teaching says that a man who can be a scandal should be thrown into the sea with a grinding stone on his neck. What kind of scandal? As stated earlier, forgiveness marks the uniqueness of Christianity.
We ask ourselves, "If I am a Christian without forgiving others, I should be thrown into the sea," since being a Christian without forgiving others would be a huge scandal. Until repentance, forgiveness is required.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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