Today I’m inviting you to reflect on the phrase “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This is a twofold plea in which we ask God to forgive our sins, but in return we need to do our share of forgiving too.

You are invited to choose some music, which speaks to you and helps you into a reflective mood. The music I am listening to is one of my favourite pieces – Vivaldi’s concerto for guitar in D.

This week I have a very special version of the Lord’s Prayer to share with you. Our wonderful pilgrimage tour guide will say the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic and also in Arabic. Listening to Bassam I am moved to tears by the sound of a Palestinian giving us the prayer that Jesus taught us to say, in the land where Jesus was living.

On a daily basis as a tour guide, Bassam  constantly finds himself in situations where people disagree with him and with his faith. Yet he lives his life in forgiveness of “those who trespass against” him.

Some time ago I worked on a parish pilgrimage, in a different parish to my own. Pilgrims were offered 30 minute slots to discuss issues that sometimes are easier to address to a relative stranger. What struck me was that of the 25 people I spoke to, 24 wanted to talk about forgiveness. It is not always easy to forgive people when they show no remorse or if we feel they don’t deserve it. A South African man told me how his brother had been shot and killed. The police then shot the brother’s killer. How is it then possible to forgive someone who is no longer alive?

The answer lies in Jesus’s petition to God while on the cross “forgive them for they know not what they do.” If Jesus can forgive those who inflicted unimaginable pain on him, surely we can follow his lead and try to do the same?

Every night, Rabbi Mar Zutra made a point of forgiving everyone who had done him wrong during the day. Would this sort of forgiveness resonate with you?

Returning to the words “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”, words like “our debts” and ‘our sins’ have been used, but I like the word “trespasses.” Being a country girl at heart , trespasses signifies crossing over a line into somewhere we should not be. Sins are when we do what we know we should not. The level of God’s mercy to us depends on how merciful we are to those “who trespass against us.’ This is a two way process, we cannot expect forgiveness if we are unwilling to forgive others. Man is never closer to God than when he is forgiving the wrongs that other people have done. We are never more kin to God than when we forgive a fellow man. Think of the walking, loving example set by Bassam as we pray for all those in the Holy Land, trying to bring peace.

Pray for a land where lord walked on this earth, show mercy to others and god will show mercy to you.

Finally, try to say the Lord’s Prayer as often as you can. It is simple to say and yet so profound. I pray that the words the Lord taught us will become the very foundation for your prayer life and will bring you much comfort as you feel closer to God. Believe me He is listening.

With blessings

Rev Rona