THE VIRTUE OF FORGIVENESS
First Reading: Sirach 27: 30 to 28: 7
Second Reading: Romans 14: 7-9
Gospel Reading: Matthew 18: 21-35
* First reading is from the book of Sirach (Ecclesiastes). This passage explains to us that our desire for revenge and vengeance is a human tendency. But our refusal to forgive those who did harm to us and who hurt us is unacceptable in the eyes of the Lord God. Such an attitude makes us unworthy of the Lord God's forgiveness and mercy. We can experience the forgiveness of the Lord God only to the extent we forgive those who offended us.
* Second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to Romans. Paul explains to the Christian community in Rome and to us that we live in union with Lord Jesus so that we become precious in the eyes of God. Our living and our dying as Christians is for Christ and for others.
"Not seven times but seventy times seven"
Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. Jesus graphically explains to St. Peter and to everyone of us the need to have unconditional forgiveness. Peter thinks forgiving an offending person seven times is being very generous and noble. But Jesus tells him that he should forgive not merely seven times but seventy times seven- which means he has to forgive innumerable times.
Jesus explains His teaching through the parable of two debtors. The parable is about a certain Master and two of his servants. The first one owed the Master ten thousand talents. He was asked to pay back the entire amount immediately. Unable to pay this huge sum the man pleads for mercy from the Master and the Master out of pity forgave all his debt. After some time the same man met a fellow servant who owed him a mere hundred denari. He asked his fellow servant to pay back the entire amount immediately. This man too pleaded with him to have mercy and asked pardon. But the first servant did not relent and puts his fellow servant in prison till he paid the entire debt.
When the Master comes to know about the unforgiving attitude of the servant who was a recipient of his mercy and he becomes extremely upset and angry. Although this servant received mercy from the Master, the same mercy was not shown to his fellow servant. The Master deals with him very harshly. Hence forgiving those who have done wrong to us is the precondition for us to receive forgiveness from God. The only obstacle we can put in the way of God's forgiveness of our sins is our refusal to forgive the sins of others.
"To err is human but to forgive is divine." - Proverb
"Father, forgive them: for they do not know what they are doing." - Luke 23:24
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