Gospel: Matthew 18:21-19:1
Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”
When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.
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Reflection:
A wife was caught by her husband with another man who was her officemate. The wife asked for forgiveness and after days of contemplation the husband finally forgave his unfaithful wife. However, the husband said, I will permanently evaporate from your sight from now on.
In the gospel, Jesus talks about forgiveness not like the selective forgiveness that the husband gave to his wayward wife. Jesus forgiveness is a wholesale kind of forgiveness a forgiveness without trace of bitterness and hatred. A forgiveness that is willing to erase the dark past and replace it with bright and pastel colors for the future.
But in hindsight, are we capable of forgiving like Jesus? Perhaps many of us would say that we are not capable. For the simple reason that we are only humans and Jesus is God, we are finite and Jesus is infinite. However, if this is our argument we have to remember that He not only forgave us, Jesus even gave His very life for us.
Who is your role model when it comes to forgiveness is it Jesus, the unforgiving servant in the gospel or the husband who walked away? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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