My dear people of God, today is the 24 th Sunday in ordinary time year A. The readings of this Liturgy revolve around reconciliation, the need to forgive others, so that we can be forgiven.
A few years ago, I was watching on one of the TV Network about a police
officer who shot and killed a man, and he dropped at the man’s side
incriminating evidence to cover up. Two days after the incident, someone
released a video that shows what really happened. The officer was fired and arrested. During an interview with a journalist, the mother of the victim said, that she has forgiven the man who killed her son. And, when the journalist asked her why she did that, she replied, ‘because I am a child of God and I want God to forgive me my own sins’.
The first reading of this liturgy, reminds us the need to forgive others for the sins they committed against us. And as well, to avoid anger, and bitterness which are like toxics in the human hearts. Naturally, it is very difficult to forgive someone who sins against us, especially the one who caused us pain, and spoiled our mood. In such a situation, there is tendency for anger, and the desire to payback. And so, Ben Sirach warned that anger and wrath are abominations, which reign in the hearts of the ungodly people. As the people of God, such vices should not be mentioned among us. In other words, there is need to forgive each other our wrong doings. Therefore, any refusal to forgive is like harboring a dangerous poison inside one’s heart. The golden rule which says, ‘love your neighbour as you love yourself,’ cannot be effectively actualized in anyone who is not ready to forgive and forget. To forgive someone who hurt us, will help us to
accomplish a healthy lifestyle, physically, mentally and spiritually. It liberates us from the bondage of bitterness and rancor, and restores in us joy and happiness.
This forgiveness is not something we write on our dairy or use our calculator to multiply how many times we have been hurt and we keep forgiving. As Peter’s question suggest in the gospel reading: “Lord, how often must I forgive my brother or sister if they sin against me?” The response Jesus gave was so stunning because, it sets no limits. In other words, you forgive as often as you were offended. And to make it clear to us, he tells us a story, the meaning of which we cannot miss. We are surprised at how the servant acted with his fellow servant. We may say he was cruel and inhuman to his fellow servant. Imagine someone whose debt of 1million Dollar is forgiven, but he refused to forgive someone that owes him very little. What a wickedheart!
The last sentence of Jesus’ story leaves nobody in doubt as to God’s attitude to those who refuse to forgive. “And this is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart”. We all need God’s forgiveness, but it can only be possible, if we open our hearts to forgive those who offend us. The first reading repeat this thus: “Forgive your neighbour the wrong that is done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray”.
Centuries before Jesus Christ, the Jews had heard those words. But Jesus
adds something to them. He says we are to forgive from our heart.
Forgiveness has never been easy. And forgiveness from the heart is often
very, very difficult. Yet, we have no choice: if we want God to give us, we
must forgive those who hurt us.
In the gospel of last Sunday Jesus said that when a brother or sister sins
against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. Here, to go and point out the fault is all about reconciliation, and reconciliation takes effect if there is forgiveness. At every liturgy we celebrate and other devotions we have, we pray the Lord’s prayer, “Our Father”. Almost every day we say these words: “forgive us
our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. How many of us realize what we are saying as we pray these words? What we are saying in fact is this: “Lord, forgive me to the extent, to the same degree, in the same way, as I myself have forgiven Dan, or Danniella, or Francis…” Perhaps, that is what we really want, to receive the measure we give, nothing more and nothing less.
It is said that people who cannot forgive break down the bridge which they
themselves must pass. For us children of God, the bridge we break is not
only the one that links us to our brothers and sisters but also the one that
links us to God Himself. Let us pause for a moment and ask ourselves: is
there a person who has hurt me and later asked for my forgiveness but, to
this moment I have not forgiven? Let the face of that person come to you
and then…see Jesus Himself looking at you as He says again today: ‘So my
heavenly Father will also do to you, unless you forgive your neighbour from your heart’.