Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Tuesday of the third week of Lent, March 10th, 2026

Delivered by Matthew and Karen from the Parish of Saint Albert the Great from the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Daniel 3: 25.34-43; Rs psalm 25: 4b-5b.6.7c.8-9; Matthew 18: 21-35.CONDITIONS OFFORGIVENESS  The title for our meditation today is: The Conditionsof Forgiveness. Even though God is merciful and forgiving, and this gift fromHim is free, it does not mean that forgiveness He gives is immediately obtained.Our faith teaches that to obtain the remission of those sins, the Churchprovides the sacrament of penance. We call it also the Sacrament ofReconciliation. In it there is a material element which is the real sinsconfessed by the sinner, and the formal element, that is the formula ofabsolution delivered by the confessor, which declares a person's liberationfrom the sins confessed. Regardingthe material element, there are conditions to support the disclosure of sins onthe occasion of confession. These conditions refer to the attitude and mannerin which a person prepares oneself to make a confession. The officialrequirements of the Church are usually related to guidance or guidelines to befollowed by the faithful preparing to receive this sacrament. In addition,there are personal conditions that are very important to be the responsibilityof every penitent that shows one’s faith and appreciation of this sacrament. As for personal preparation, the two readings todayprovide the ways of the importance preparation for confession. The Prophet Daniel'sprophecy in the first reading emphasizes the role of the sinner's remorsefulattitude. Regret or feeling sad is a very important condition to provide thequality of confession of sin as a negative and firm attitude towards sins. A contriteheart and humble spirit indicate that the sinner is sad and angry at hishumiliation. He felt sorry for himself who had a bad fate. Thus the AlmightyGod can give His attention and love to him. A person who does not show remorseor regret, usually seeks a scapegoat for his sins or is proud and happy becauseby sinning he can fulfill his evil intentions. The Gospel of Matthew says that if we are unwilling toforgive those who have wronged us, our Father in heaven does not forgive us.The "Our Father" prayer emphasizes this, because it is God's own act.That means before we can get a formal act of forgiveness when we makeconfession, we must first forgive those who have wronged us. Therefore, inaddition to conveying the material elements, namely the real sins, the sinnerneeds to honestly admit also that he has forgiven those he mentioned in hisconfession. An effective and fruitful confession of sin occurs because of theforgiveness of the sinner who has sinned against us, before we receiveforgiveness from God through the ministry of the Church.   Letus pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord Jesus Christ, teach and encourageus not to be ashamed and afraid to forgive. Our Father who art in heaven... Inthe name of the Father....