As we forgive those who trespass against us
Jesus teaches us that there should be no limit to our forgiveness and no conditions attached to our reconciliation.
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Jesus teaches us that there should be no limit to our forgiveness and no conditions attached to our reconciliation.
Today’s liturgy, the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A), focuses on mercy, compassion, and forgiveness.
All three readings today remind us of the path to forgiveness, mercy, and reconciliation and challenge us to walk this, the only Way to Life.
Peter asked Jesus how many times he must forgive a brother — up to seven times? Jesus answered, “seventy times seven,” sharing the parable of the unforgiving servant.
Jesus teaches us that there should be no limit to our forgiveness and no conditions attached to our reconciliation. We represent the greater debtor in the parable because we commit sins every day and, hence, we need God’s forgiveness every day.
But we must forgive in order to be forgiven. Jesus explains, after teaching us the prayer Our Father, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father also will forgive you.”
We need to forgive, forget, and be reconciled. In the light of eternity and considering the shortness of our lifespan, harboring old grudges is pointless. The forgiveness that we offer others is the indispensable condition for us to be able to open our hearts to receive God’s love and so make it possible for us to receive God’s forgiveness for ourselves and to pray meaningfully: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
What God expects from us, He offers us grace to accomplish in us. In this case, He desires to give us the power of His own limitless forgiveness so that we will be able to overlook each other’s faults willingly and to keep on loving each other even in the face of insults.
We may never forget the hurt we have experienced, but we can, with God’s grace, choose to forgive and pray for our offenders. As life goes on and we remember an incident that was hurtful and roused great anger in us, we need to remind ourselves that, with God’s grace, we have already forgiven the one that hurt us.
Time does heal memories. Forgiveness finally changes us from being prisoners of our past to being liberated and at peace with our memories. Forgiveness allows us to move beyond the pain, the resentment, and the anger. When we forgive, we make the choice that heals. We can forgive the offender by wishing him God’s blessings and by offering that individual to God.
When we withhold forgiveness, we remain the victim. When we offer forgiveness, we are doing it also for our own well-being.
God has forgiven us an immense debt we could never repay, so we are called to extend that same grace to others in our daily lives.
Let us remember that wrath and anger are destructive. If we hold onto grudges, we cannot expect healing or mercy from God.
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