Our God is a God who lavishes us with forgiveness, perhaps even beyond what we can comprehend.
It is a gift that is ours when we acknowledge our sins, realizing we have done wrong, so that we may receive such a sweet gift. It is not something we earn, but comes only through the merits of the Cross.
And then, as the priest said in his homily at the Philadelphia Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, as forgiven people, we have to extend the forgiveness, not continuing in condemning others. Indeed, this is a gift that overflows to all who will humbly acknowledge their sins and God's power to forgive them.
These readings make me think of something John Newton said as he neared the end of his life: "Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior." Truly, we are all sinners, all in need of God's mercy, which we can all receive freely and abundantly. No matter what we've done, God can work His mercy in us as we come to Him in repentance.
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