St. Francisco de Asis Catholic Church and School in Flagstaff spoke of God's mercy in its Sept. 13 bulletin.

"Our connection with God is woven into our relationships with others," so that we might forgive and give mercy to one another when a relationship is damaged, the church said in the bulletin. 

"As we are able to accept the mercy of God deep within our hearts, we become empowered to show mercy to others," the church continued. "When things go badly in our relationships, we can remember that God is present at the center of these difficult moments. God is offering grace to ask forgiveness, to receive apology and to accept the forgiveness extended to us." 

God also asks us to stop keeping track of when we forgive others, because it puts us on an endless cycle of pain, the church noted. God asks us to forgive and forget, which we will do with "the grace of mercy."

But it is important to remember that if someone is offended, the burden of forgiveness isn't just for them to bare. 

"This would suggest that the burden is placed entirely upon the offended person to go on forgiving, without mentioning any accountability on the part of the offending person," the church said. "The call to forgive should never be used as a cover for bullying or for oppressive relationships of any kind."