We began Lent on Ash Wednesday by being reminded of three traditional penitential practices: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. In Matthew 6 Jesus gives us specific instructions on prayer (“no babbling”) and provides us the model prayer, the Our Father. To this prayer Jesus appends a highlight to one of the petitions in order to stress the importance of forgiveness. Having a forgiving heart is essential to a life of prayer since it puts us in right relationship with God. We stand before God with no boast, with nothing that we are due. All is gift. To hold onto resentment and grudges makes it seem as if we are owed something. We take the risk of forgiving because thus we throw ourselves into the arms of mercy.
