Reflection for September 13 Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Matthew 18:21-35

Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35

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 him 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 your brother from your heart.”

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

Are we truly forgiving?

In the Gospel, a servant asked his king to forgive the huge amount he owed, and the king granted him forgiveness. Yet, when the servant encountered someone who owed him a much smaller amount, he demanded repayment of the debt. He had received mercy, but he was unwilling to extend that same mercy to another.

Perhaps many of us can relate to this servant who asked forgiveness from his Lord and Master. We ask Jesus to forgive us for all our sins, and many of us even submit ourselves to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We kneel before the Lord with humble hearts, acknowledging our sins and asking for His mercy. And in His great love, Jesus forgives us and gives us another chance to begin anew.

But do we truly live out the forgiveness we have received from Jesus? Do we forgive those who have wronged us just as we have been forgiven by the Lord?

These are difficult questions because forgiving is not always easy. There are wounds that run deep, words that continue to hurt, and painful memories that are difficult to let go of. Yet, when we choose to forgive, we allow God's grace to work within us. We free ourselves from the prison of anger, hatred, and resentment.

Just imagine: when we harbor anger in our hearts, we carry a burden that does us no good. We allow something from the past to continue occupying a place in our hearts and stealing our peace. Why can't we let bygones be bygones, forgive and forget, and move forward without carrying a heavy burden in our hearts?

When we refuse to forgive, we are only punishing ourselves. We remain chained to the pain, even when the person who hurt us may already have moved on. Worse, we can allow anger and resentment to take root in our hearts and draw us farther away from the peace that Jesus wants to give us.

We, therefore, have to be forgiving because forgiveness is not only for those who have wronged us; it is also for us, the ones who have been wronged. Forgiveness heals our whole being. It makes us emotionally and spiritually stronger, and it opens a new path in our lives where we can begin anew without the heavy burden of hatred and resentment.

Forgiving does not mean that what happened to us was acceptable. It does not erase the pain or pretend that the wound never existed. Rather, forgiveness means that we choose to surrender our pain to Jesus and refuse to allow hatred to control our hearts. We entrust justice to God and allow His grace to lead us toward healing and peace.

Let us always learn from Jesus, who is ever-forgiving. Let us learn from Him, who does not keep a record of our wrongs in His heart. Instead, He continually offers us mercy, healing, and another chance to begin again.

As we receive God's forgiveness, let us also become instruments of that same forgiveness in the lives of others. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to soften whatever has become hardened in our hearts and to give us the grace to forgive even when forgiveness is difficult.

Is there someone we still cannot forgive? What anger, hatred, or resentment are we still carrying in our hearts—and are we ready today to surrender it to Jesus?—Marino J. Dasmarinas