The Holy Priest-Martyr Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata (379-80)
Apostles’ Fast.
Read
Romans 3:19-26; Matthew 7:1-8
After speaking to us about the anxieties and worries we have every day and the teaching that we ought to trust in Him at all times, the Lord speaks to us about mercy and forgiveness. As His disciples, we follow our Lord in word and deed. We offer mercy and compassion at all times.
When I was small, and having two younger brothers, arguments and fights were not uncommon until the late teens (physical fights were rare). Our parents did their very best to teach us not to judge but to forgive. They taught us that we could not have a record of disagreements, arguments, etc. whereby we stamped each time we were offended and once the card was full, we could let loose. No, they taught us to look at the emotions we experienced and learn that they do not control us (our heart, mind, and will control us – which we submit to the action of the Holy Spirit). We needed to make the decision to forgive. It’s just like love—we decide to love.
As disciples of the Lord, we do not judge (wrote the person off) but offer mercy and forgiveness. He shows the greatest example of this on the Cross. During great suffering that leads to death, He did not judge His persecutors but forgave them. Remember His prayer? “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
This teaching, of course, does not suspend the moral faculty. Like the Lord, we can still state that an action is immoral (e.g., abortion, euthanasia, adultery, stealing, lying, greed, etc.) but also offer mercy and forgiveness.