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). Our desire for revenge and vengeance is a human tendency. But our refusal to forgive those who do harm to us and 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 do wrong to 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 the Lord Jesus so that we become precious in the eyes of God. Our living and our dying as Christians is for the Lord 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 all of us the need to forgive un-conditionally. Peter is of the opinion that forgiving his offending brother seven times is being very generous and noble. But Jesus corrects him and tells him that he should forgive not merely seven times but seventy times seven - which means (that he has) to forgive innumerable times. Jesus explains this teaching through the parable of two debtors. It is about a Master and his two servants. The first one owed the Master ten thousand talents. He is asked to pay back the entire amount immediately. Unable to pay such a huge sum, the man pleads for mercy from the Master and the Master out of pity forgives all his debt. A little later, the same man meets a fellow servant who owed him a mere hundred denari. He asks his fellow servant to pay back the entire amount immediately. This man too pleads with him to have mercy and asks pardon. But the first servant does not relent and puts his fellow servant in prison till he paid the entire debt. When the Master comes to know about the un-forgiving attitude of the servant who is a recipient of his mercy, he is extremely upset and angry. Although this servant received forgiveness and mercy from the Master, the same mercy is not shown to his fellow servant. As a result, the Master deals with him very harshly till he paid the whole debt. Hence, forgiving those who have done wrong to us is the pre-condition for us to receive forgiveness and mercy from God. Thus the only obstacle that we can put in the way of God's forgiveness for our sins is our refusal to forgive the sins of other humans.
"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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