Posted by The WORD in other words (2017) by Father Bernard Espiritu SVD (New Zealand)
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time – A
It has been years since the Church celebrated the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy (2015-2016), proclaimed by Pope Francis. For some, it may have been just another event in the life of the Church. For many others, however, it was a season of grace, an invitation to encounter the infinite mercy and compassion of God.
No one who truly loves escapes being hurt. Parents are often misunderstood by their children, who may think and feel they are already mature enough to make every decision on their own. Leaders may be criticized when they propose something new. Children can be wounded when they feel unheard or neglected. Indeed, no one is spared from suffering, disappointment, or betrayal.
Yet perhaps the more important lesson in life is learning how to forgive.
As a priest, I have met people who recount painful experiences with such passion that one would think those events happened only yesterday, when in fact they occurred many years ago. Their wounds have become like scars that never heal because they are constantly reopened and nurtured. The pain remains fresh, robbing them of peace, joy, and freedom.
The First Reading speaks directly to this reality:
“Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight” (Sirach 27:30).
To sin is to miss the mark, to miss God’s purpose for our lives. Wrath and resentment tear apart the peace and joy that God desires for us. Perhaps this is the wisdom behind the old saying: “To err is human; to forgive is divine.”
Human beings are weak and wounded; that is precisely why we need a Savior. In Jesus Christ, God became human so that humanity might learn to see through God’s eyes. He gives us a new vision that goes beyond instinct, revenge, and natural justice.
Forgiveness lies at the heart of today’s Gospel (Matthew 18:21-35). Peter approaches Jesus with what he thinks is a generous proposal:
“Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” (Matthew 18:21).
For Peter, seven times already seemed heroic. But Jesus shatters human calculations:
“I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22).
Then follows the parable of the unforgiving servant. The servant receives an immense mercy from his master, yet refuses to show that same mercy to a fellow servant. The message is clear: what matters is not merely receiving forgiveness but passing it forward.
Forgiveness multiplies goodness. Like a pebble thrown into a pond, it creates ripples that spread far beyond the original act. Mercy received must become mercy shared. As St. Paul teaches:
“Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ” (Ephesians 4:32).
The world often measures relationships by debts owed and payments due. God measures them by grace. The Gospel therefore challenges our standards of justice and replaces them with the logic of mercy.
Jesus knows that human beings are called to something greater. We are meant to become windows into the very heart of God. When we forgive, we reveal the God who never tires of forgiving us. When we choose mercy over resentment, we allow others to glimpse the Father’s compassion.
Indeed, forgiveness is not forgetting the hurt. It is allowing God’s love to be stronger than the hurt.
Prayer
Merciful Father, free us from the burden of resentment and the chains of unforgiveness. May the mercy we have received from You become mercy offered to others. Heal the wounds that we carry, soften our hearts, and teach us to forgive as You forgive. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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