Dear Parish Family,

Jesus' lesson in forgiveness shows us that we are to forgive from the heart, not simply because "it's the right thing to do" but rather because God has forgiven us fully and immediately. The words of Jesus in the parable, "Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant as I had pity on you?" strike me to the heart every time I read them! My own heart can be slow to forgive immediately and completely. Sometimes it takes us time to process our anger and hurt. While God understands our humanity and gives us time to process what we're going through, He always asks us to forgive so that we, and the neighbor who sinned against us, may be set free from hatred and enmity, and that in our heart we may be open to reconciliation. 

Think of the worst thing someone has done to you. Have you forgiven that person fully? If not, there's probably unhealed wounds there for you to bring to Jesus. Remember, forgiveness doesn't mean forgetting or ignoring the pain, or bypassing the accountability or boundaries that need to be in place to protect our hearts. Rather, forgiveness is all about receiving the mercy of our Lord first of all for ourselves in our sinfulness precisely so that we can be free to forgive others just as God has forgiven us. Say a prayer for your enemies today, and ask God to open your heart to have mercy on them just as He has always had mercy on you.
 

Included in today's bulletin is a FAQ page on November ballot's Issue 1 on abortion access. We need to understand the issues at hand in order to talk about them faithfully and reasonably. Please carefully read over the FAQ page. Extra copies are available at the Pro Life table in the Gathering Space, and can be accessed below.
FAQ Page

I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Scott Goodfellow