Gospel of the Day (Luke 17:1-6)
He said to his disciples, "Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur.
It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, 'I am sorry,' you should forgive him."
And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."
The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to (this) mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.
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Reflections:
"You should forgive him."
"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1Cor 13,7).By this the apostle Paul showed that love can persevere steadfastly because it has learned to endure all things. And in another place he says: "Bear with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace" (Eph 4,2-3).
Neither unity nor peace can be preserved unless brothers cherish one another with mutual forbearance and preserve the bond of unity with patience as intermediary. How then will you be able to endure these things: not to swear or curse; not to seek again what has been taken away from you; on receiving a blow to offer the other cheek also to your assailant; to forgive your brother who offends you not only seventy times seven times, but all his offences without exception; to love your enemies; to pray for your adversaries and persecutors, if you do not have the steadfastness of patience and forbearance?
We see what happened in the case of Stephen. When he was being killed by the violence and stones of the Jews, he did not ask for vengeance but forgiveness for his murderers, saying: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" (Acts 7,60).
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