I will forgive the wicked because you forgive me. If you are new to mental prayer, we invite you to visit our page on the ways of mental prayer, Don’t know how to Pray to God, to learn more.
We begin Day 8 of this Lenten prayer journey with this opening prayer :
Trust and Believe…
Lord,
I know you love me intimately. Please help me prepare my heart as I begin these 15 minutes of mental prayer with you. Lord, let me be present to you and aware of the movements of the Holy Spirit in my heart, receiving the grace you give with humility and contrition. Lord, help me visualize you in my presence right now as I strive to complete this Lenten reflection. Let me fully contemplate the readings as I ponder what it means to forgive the wicked because you forgive me. I want to follow you all the way to Calvary, Jesus, and I want to do it with my whole heart.
AMEN.
Friday of the First week of Lent (Liturgical Year I)
I Will Forgive the Wicked Because You Forgive Me
A Reflection for Prayerful Meditation
Let’s begin Day 8 of our Lenten journey as we continue traveling with Jesus in our hearts and minds toward Calvary by meditating on the daily Mass readings for today: the First Reading, the Psalms, and the Gospel Reading. As you make your self-reflection, feel free to journal your responses to the Lord. This meditation is suited for prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, but you can also pray this meditation while looking at a Crucifix or an image of Jesus that you have.
I Will Forgive the Wicked Because You Forgive Me
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Start with Love…
Holy Spirit,
I believe you are truly here and present to me right now. I desire to be present to you. Guide my heart and mind and show me how I might pick up my cross and follow Jesus all the way to Calvary. Help me turn my heart more fully to God so that I might better understand God’s love for me.
Breathe on me as I spend these next 15 minutes fixated on today’s Mass readings. Holy Spirit, help me pray with humility, honesty, love and affection. I want to grow in virtue and holiness.
Thank you, Holy Spirit, for every consolation, desolation, time of silence, difficult trial, and temptation of the evil one. I understand that you love me and that everything in my life happens by God’s holy will, whether it be divine providence or God’s permissive will due to my sin and negligence.
Please humble me as I walk with Jesus toward Calvary.
AMEN.
Say Nothing Just Take Him In
Spend 1-3 minutes in silence gazing at Jesus with love and gratitude, in a prayer of silent contemplation.
Make a Movie in Your Mind…
Now we will contemplate the First Reading. Slowly imagine yourself as Ezekiel in this scene, receiving the Word of God as he prays, and conversing with the Lord. Take your time. Pause over a moment that really tugs your heart. Is the Lord’s way ‘fair’ to you? What part of this passage jumps out to you? Is the Lord speaking to your conscience? If so, speak to him.
I Will Forgive the Wicked Because You Forgive Me
If the Wicked Man Turns Away from All His Sins
Ezekiel 18: 21-28
Thus says the Lord GOD: If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed, if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just, he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him; he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced.
Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked? says the Lord GOD. Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way that he may live?
And if the virtuous man turns from the path of virtue to do evil, the same kind of abominable things that the wicked man does, can he do this and still live? None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered, because he has broken faith and committed sin; because of this, he shall die.
You say, “The LORD’S way is not fair!”
Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair? When a virtuous man turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die. But if a wicked man, turning from the wickedness he has committed, does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins which he committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
Reflection:
Let us take a moment to reflect on the message in the First Reading.
Ask the Lord to help you consider what it means to be a truly virtuous person as you ponder this passage. Who have you known in your life that you felt was wicked? Has that person turned from his or her wicked ways?
Now let’s personalize this passage from our First Reading…
Be Completely Real…
Is there someone in your life who has deeply wounded you? Have you been able to freely forgive this person, even if they have not repented? Ask the Lord to enter into this wound to heal it. Surrender it to God and forgive with the help of his grace.
Give the Holy Spirit time to respond.
Be honest with the Lord. Self-reflect on this failed relationship and take ownership of your iniquities, too, if the Holy Spirit reminds you of a sinful act you’ve done since then as a result of your wound. Spend some time with Jesus and talk about it from your heart. Imagine him with you, placing his hand upon your shoulder and gazing at you with love. In the next part we will read a prayer of adoration from Psalms. Pray this with love, relying on the Holy Spirit to help you pray it from your heart.
Let us continue our mental prayer with today’s Responsorial Psalm:
I Will Forgive the Wicked Because You Forgive Me
Let Me Meditate on the Law of the Lord
Psalms 130: 1-8
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
My soul waits for the Lord
more than sentinels for dawn.
Let Israel wait for the LORD.
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
and he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
Visualize Christ…
I want you to imagine yourself with the disciples, listening to Jesus’ warning. We know how much hypocrisy the scribes and Pharisees displayed. Jesus was warning those closest to him not to be like them. Take a moment to close your eyes and picture Jesus teaching you with all the other disciples. He is with you, and warning you, not to harbor unforgiveness in your heart toward the wicked, and to humble yourself so you do not assume you are righteous and yet guilty of sin that will cause you to be separated from God.
Read the Gospel passage twice, the second time more slowly, pausing on a word or phrase that deeply affects you. Then prayerfully speak to Jesus about what stirred your heart. What do you want to tell him?
I Will Forgive the Wicked Because You Forgive Me
Let Me Deny Myself and Take up My Cross
Matthew 5: 20-26
Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”
Are You Listening?
Imagine Jesus speaking to you: “Forgive. Don’t be angry anymore, and don’t insult them. Try to reconcile, but if they are unwilling to repent, let me enter into that wound and heal you.”
Try to speak to the Lord from your heart about the people and the situation that has caused a wound in your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in this situation and help you act according to God’s will.
Take 1-3 minutes to listen for his response to your heartfelt prayer.
Pray the next Lenten Meditation
Day 9 Lenten Meditation
I Want to be Blameless and Walk in Your Ways
“I Want to be Blameless and Walk in Your Ways” – Join us in our 9th Lenten reflection for Liturgical Year I
2 Responses
Hello,
I am subscribed for daily Lenton reflections but I am receiving the Reflections for Year 2 and not Year 1. Can you please fix this.
Thank you,
Corina Becerra
Hi Corina, our Year II reflections are for even numbered years, and year I reflections are for odd numbered years. So year one will begin next year, as it is an odd number year. This year is an even number year. I hope this makes sense. The meditations coincide with the universal readings of the Church.