And forgive us our debts

The Lord's Prayer is a compendium of fundamental petitions for human life. It is just a model of the kind of prayer we can offer to the Lord, and it implicitly invites us to add our own essential requests when faced with similar needs.

One of the things that every human being will need at some point in his life is God's forgiveness. Transgressing God's law is inevitable, and we will always have to come before Him, many times a day, and confess our faults. The wonderful thing is that the Bible says that “if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1: 9). On the other hand, "if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (vs. 10).

Asking God for forgiveness when we offend Him is the healthiest and most healing thing we can do. Confessing our debts cleanses us from the inside, leaving us free to enjoy sweet fellowship with our heavenly Father and continue to receive his abundant blessings.

On the other hand, living a morally neglected life, persisting in our sins and pretending to give them another name, or trying to legitimize sinful behavior by violating the obvious meaning of God's commandments, is a recipe for disaster and a sure way to grieve it. Holy Spirit. Much better to be humble, admit our error, and entrust ourselves to the gracious ministration of our merciful Father.

David tells of a time when he tried to cover up his sin instead of confessing it to God: “While I was silent, my bones grew old in my groaning all day. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; My greenness became in the dryness of summer ”. As we can see, the consequences of his behavior were extremely negative.

But then he adds: “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover up my iniquity. I said: I will confess my transgressions to the Lord; And you forgave the evil of my sin. As soon as David confesses his sin, God's grace is poured out on him, and his "summer droughts" turn to the green of spring.

Learn to rejoice in God's mercy. Do not cover up your faults. Don't blame others for your own sin. Rather, take refuge again and again in the merciful arms of your heavenly Father, who knows your condition, and has compassion on you as a father has compassion on children (Psalm 103).

Being forgiven by God is a great privilege. Confess your sin. Amend your ways. And always live in the light of truth and transparency towards God and your fellow men.