Exiit qui seminat “The sower goes out to sow”

The first reading this Sunday comes from the Book of Sirach, part of the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament. I was struck by the impact of that first line: "Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner holds them tight." Even though it was written in the 2nd c. BC, these words still ring true, especially in our current culture. In a culture riddled with anger, forgiveness and second chances are almost non-existent. But in the midst of anger, in the midst of sin, we are reminded of God's infinite mercy. Not only is the Lord able and willing to forgive us, He truly longs to show His mercy. The only barrier that prevents us from receiving that mercy is us. Our own hurt, our own anger, our own unwillingness to forgive stand in the way of God's mercy and forgiveness. In the 12th Chapter of Matthew's Gospel, our Lord says, "Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven" (Matt 12:31). This blasphemy against the Spirit is widely recognized as rejecting God's mercy and an unwillingness to be forgiven or an inability to forgive someone else. The 1st Letter of St. John tells us, "If anyone says, 'I love God', but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen" (1 John 5:20). As recipients of Christ's mercy, we must continue to "forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven."  How do we handle our anger? Are we able, with God's grace, to channel it properly, or do we hold that anger close to us and refuse to let go? If there are areas in our lives that we're struggling to "let go", let us pray to the Lord to pry open our fingers and our hearts so that we can receive His mercy and mercy to others. Let us set enmity aside and live out the commandments of love.