The Essentials of the Catholic Faith,Part4:Lord,Teach Us To Pray,5thPetition:“Forgive Us Our Tr...”

TheRealPresence.org ^ | 2002 | Pocket Catholic Catechism

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Part Four:

Lord, Teach Us To Pray

Fifth Petition:

“

Forgive Us Our Trespasses as We Forgive Those Who Tresspass Against Us”

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Table of Contents    

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This is no ordinary petition to God asking for His mercy. We not only ask Him to be merciful to us, but we dare place a condition and a norm on God’s forgiveness. What is this condition and norm? It is the practice and the measure of our forgiveness to others.

What are we being told? We are being told that unless we are merciful to others, God will not be merciful to us. We further believe that the measure of our forbearance with the sins of others mysteriously determines the degree of God’s patient forgiveness of us.

Every form of mercy that we so deeply desire from God toward ourselves, we pray that we might receive from Him. But the condition remains. God will infallibly be tolerant and patient, indulgent and lenient, tender and compassionate, pardoning and forgiving toward us sinners if we practice these qualities of mercy toward those whom God’s Providence puts into our lives.

St. Matthew speaks of “debts” and “debtors,” St. Luke of “sins” and being “indebted.” But the meaning in each case is clear. By offending God in sin, we incur a debt of love and punishment for our misdeeds. We owe God greater love than we would have had we not sinned, and we owe Him a debt of suffering as punishment for offending the Divine Majesty.

In His mercy, God provides us with countless opportunities for expiation by allowing others to sin against us. Our patience in enduring their offenses, our kindness in bearing their coldness, our responding with love for them in return for their lovelessness toward us is part of God’s providential plan of redeeming a sinful world.

We pray for the strength to forgive so that we might be forgiven in return.

There is also a marvelous communication of grace at stake here. Not infrequently, the very reason God places difficult people into our lives is that by our loving patience with them, we might obtain from God the graces of conversion they need. We are channels of grace to others. This means that to be an effective channel for some people, I may have to be the victim of their indifference, or even cruelty, to win for them the gift of repentance to be reconciled with an offended God.

Copyright © 2002 Inter Mirifica
Pocket Catholic Catechism

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Continuing with the Our Father

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Actual Title:

The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Four: Lord, Teach Us To Pray, Fifth Petition: “Forgive Us Our Trespasses as We Forgive Those Who Tresspass Against Us”

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The Essentials of the Catholic Faith (Introduction)
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part One: The Apostles’ Creed, The Basic Profession of Faith
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part 1: The Apostles’ Creed, “I Believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth"
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part 1: The Apostles’ Creed: “And in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord”
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part One: The Apostles' Creed: “ Who Was Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary”

The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part One: The Apostles’ Creed: “Suffered Under Pontius Pilate, was Crucified, Died, and was Buried”
The Esstentials of the Catholic Faith, Part One: The Apostle's Creed: He Descended into Hell. On the Third Day He Rose Again from the Dead
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part One: The Apostles’ Creed: “He Ascended into Heaven, and is Seated at the Right Hand of God, The Father Almighty”
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part 1: The Apostles’ Creed: “From Thence He Shall Come to Judge the Living and the Dead”
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part 1: The Apostles’ Creed, “ I Believe in the Holy Spirit”

The Essentials of the Catholic Faith,Part 1: Apostles’ Creed: "The Holy CatholicChurch: The Communion of Saints”
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part One: The Apostles’ Creed: “The Forgiveness of Sins”
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part One: The Apostles’ Creed: “The Resurrection of the Body”
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part One: The Apostles’ Creed: “Life Everlasting”

The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Two: Channels of Grace, The Sacraments
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Two: Channels of Grace, Baptism
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Two: Channels of Grace, Confirmation
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Two: Channels of Grace: The Eucharist
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Two: Channels of Grace, Penance

The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Two: Channels of Grace, Anointing of the Sick
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Two: Channels of Grace, Holy Orders

The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Three: The Will of God, Christian Morality
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Three: The Will of God, The Ten Commandments
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Three: The Will of God, First Commandment
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Three: The Will of God, Second Commandment
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Three: The Will of God, Third Commandment

The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Three: The Will of God, Fourth Commandment
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Three: The Will of God, Fifth Commandment
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Three: The Will of God, Sixth and Ninth Commandments
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Three: The Will of God, Seventh and Tenth Commandments
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith; Part Three: The Will of God, Eighth Commandment

The Essentials of the Catholic Faith. Part Four: Lord, Teach Us To Pray, The Lord’s Prayer
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Four: Lord, Teach Us To Pray, The Invocation: Our Father, Who Art in Heaven”
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Four: Lord, Teach Us To Pray; First Petition: “Hallowed Be Thy Name”
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Four: Lord,Teach Us To Pray, Second Petition: “Thy Kingdom Come”
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Four: Lord, Teach Us To Pray, Third Petition: “Thy Will Be Done on Earth as It Is in Heaven"
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Four: Lord, Teach Us To Pray, Fourth Petition: “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread"
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Four:Lord, Teach Us To Pray, Fifth Petition: “Forgive Us Our Trespasses As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us”

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Catholic Discussion Ping!

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[caper gal 1]

I was raised Methodist, not Catholic, but I spent a LOT of time at my grandparents’ home and they had the Lord’s Prayer displayed prominently and also incorporated it into the daily evening meal prayer, so I grew up taking this very seriously as I continue to do so today.

Would that today’s generations were bathing their offspring in this culture as well.

[Iscool]

I was raised Methodist, not Catholic, but I spent a LOT of time at my grandparents’ home and they had the Lord’s Prayer displayed prominently and also incorporated it into the daily evening meal prayer, so I grew up taking this very seriously as I continue to do so today.

I learned this prayer in public school...Don't remember if this came first or the pledge of allegiance...First thing every morning...

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Wow! I don’t ever remember doing anything like that.

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Yes, our culture could use a lot of this forgiveness each and every day.

And prayer in general.

[Iscool]

Back in the 50s...Had a family of Jehovah Witnesses...Only the one family...They were taught not to stand for the Pledge...None of us could understand that...As a result, they were pretty much shunned...We thought they were communists that some of the teachers talked about...

This was up thru the 8th grade...Used to bring our shotguns to school and park them in the principal’s office so we could go hunting on the way home...