Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive, as many as seven times? I say to you, not seven times but as many as seventy-seven times. Do not be concerned with the number 77. Jesus was using this number to say that the amount of times we should forgive is far greater than we could imagine. For the true follower of Christ, there can be no limits to how many times or how much he or she forgives. The Christian realizes the great mercy he or she has received from a God who sent His Son to become one of us to die for us so that we can have eternal life. The Christian understands that next to the forgiveness we have received from God there can be no limit to the forgiveness he or she extends to others.
Forgiveness. Forgiveness brings healing. Forgiveness brings the mercy of God. Holding on to anger only brings more suffering, particularly for the person who harbors hate. The first servant in the Gospel parable for this Sunday owed a huge debt. The translation we used for Mass just says "huge", but the Greek says he owed ten thousand talents. One talent represented fifteen years of daily wages. This man was in deep financial trouble. He would have to work for 15,000 years to pay this off. This impossible debt was totally dismissed by the king in the parable. That was shocking, and wonderful. The second servant owed the first a large, but payable debt, 100 denarii. That was the equivalent of 100 days wages. Difficult, but payable. Certainly, not in the same league as the first debt. “A mere fraction”our translation says. As you are aware, the first servant refused mercy to the second, and the result is he lost the mercy that had been offered to him by the Master. It is obvious that the parable is comparing what God has forgiven each of us with those who owe us so much less than we owe God. We strive for this ideal. It is also one of the hardest tasks of Christianity. Sometimes people will say, "I can’t forgive and forget. I can never forget what he or she did to me or to my family." Forgetting might not be possible. It also might not be the best thing to do. If a man punches you in the face, you should forgive him, but it would be wise to avoid him, or at least wear a hockey mask the next time you see him. Forgetting is not part of the gospel requirement. Forgiveness is. The focus of our forgiveness should not just be on the person we are forgiving, or even the particular action we are forgiving. The focus of our forgiveness should primarily be on getting back on track with our lives. When you really think about it, all forgiveness ends up with oneself. We need to survive and move on from our hurts, or we will always be bogged down by our anger. We need to forgive the people who have hurt us (and we all have a thousand battle stories!) we need to forgive the people who have hurt us so we can be people who don't hurt others. The unmerciful servant ruined a golden opportunity. He could have become a person of kindness and gentleness, reflecting a small portion of the forgiveness he had received. Instead, he held onto his past, his anger at the money still unpaid. His refusal to forgive destroyed him.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Those are some of the most healing words in scripture. They are also some of the most difficult words in scripture. We might not want to forgive others, but the pain we have received from others is minor in comparison to the gifts God has given us. Look at all that we have received from the Lord. We have received love, the great gift of living eternally in God's love. Today we pray for the grace to forgive and move on with life, just as we thank the Lord for the innumerable times He has forgiven us and has Himself moved on with sharing His Life with us • AE
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Fr. Agustin’s Schedule for Sunday September 13, 2020.
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Saturday, September 12, 2020.
4.30 p.m. Sacrament of Confession
5.30 p.m. English Mass
@ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church
Sunday, September 13, 2020.
9.00 a.m. English Mass
@ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church
11.00 a.m. English Mas
@ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church
5.30 p.m. English Mas
@ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church
...
Vivimos todavía los creyentes de hoy una experiencia honda del perdón de Dios, o ya no necesitamos sentirnos perdonados por nadie? ¡Gran pregunta! Quizá atribuimos todos nuestros males a las deficiencias de una sociedad mal organizada, o a las actuaciones injustas que, claro, siempre vienen de los demás. Pero, ¿no es ésta una forma de vivir engañados, separados de nuestra propia verdad, sumergidos en una secreta tristeza? ¿No necesitamos en lo más hondo de nuestro ser confesar nuestro propio pecado, sentirnos comprendidos por Alguien, sabernos aceptados con nuestros errores y miserias, ser acogidos y restituidos de nuevo a nuestro ser más auténtico? ¡Nuestra fe nos regala constantemente esta oportunidad! Y la parábola de este domingo nos lo recuerda de nuevo. Quien no se ha sentido nunca comprendido por Dios, no sabe comprender a los demás. Quien no ha gustado su perdón entrañable, corre el riesgo de vivir sin entrañas, como el siervo de la parábola, endureciendo cada vez más sus exigencias y reivindicaciones y negando a todos la ternura y el perdón. Hemos creído que todo se podía lograr endureciendo las luchas, despertando la agresividad social y potenciando el resentimiento. Hemos expulsado de entre nosotros el perdón y la mutua comprensión como algo inútil, propio de personas débiles y resignadas. Peor aún: nos estamos acostumbrado a una espiral de represalias, revanchas y venganzas. Ya hemos logrado vivir estrangulándonos unos a otros y gritándonos todos mutuamente: “¡Págame lo que me debes!”. Sólo que no está nada claro que este camino haya de llevarnos a una convivencia más justa y a unas relaciones más cálidas y más humanas • AE
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