What Grudge Are You Clinging To?
2023년 9월 17일What Grudge Are You Clinging To?
< Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time >
Cornelius Vanderbilt, owner of the New York railroad, was one of the richest men in America. He liked to ride his railway from New York City and Chicago. He has a custom of eating a large bowl of tutti-frutti ice cream during the regular train stop in Cleveland, Ohio. Well, one day, to the horror of the conductor, waiters and crew, they were all out of tutti-frutti ice cream. They didn’t dare continue their trip until Mr. Vanderbilt got his ice cream. So, what was usually a fifteen-minute layover turned to a thirty minute interruption as the train’s crew scoured the city in search of the ice cream. Finally they found some and rushed it to Mr. Vanderbilt who sat seething in silence the whole time and got angrier and angrier. As the waiter presented the confection with much bowing and copious apologies, Vanderbilt stared at the waiter and stared at the ice cream and then, with a swipe of his arm, sent the dessert crashing to the floor. “I’d rather have my grudge,” he said.
What about us? What grudge are we holding onto? God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness await anyone who forgives their brother or sister from the heart. The odd thing is, holding a grudge does not hurt our opponent; it only hurts us. When we hold a grudge we give our adversary control of our happiness and peace of mind. Put another way, a grudge is like poison we drink hoping it will hurt our enemy. Worse than that, holding a grudge is like taking a shower while wearing a raincoat. This is why Jesus was so serious when he told Peter to forgive not seven times but seventy-seven times. In other words, don’t count how many times, but forgive from the heart. Don’t give your grudge a chance to spoil your peace of mind or damage your soul.