XXIV Sunday of Ordinary Time -- Year A

First: Sir 27: 30-28:7; Second: Rom 14: 7-9; Gospel: Mt 18: 21-35

THEME of the READINGS

The word "forgiveness" occurs frequently in the texts of this Sunday. First and foremost is the forgiveness granted by God. "And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt" (Mt 18:27). Fraternal forgiveness is a necessary condition that precedes divine forgiveness. "Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray" (Sir 28:2). Thirdly, there is boundless forgiveness. "Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times? Jesus answered, Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times"(Mt 18: 21-22). Finally, the reason for forgiveness is nothing other than our belonging to the same Lord. For none of us lives for himself ...while we are alive, we are living for the Lord" (cf. Rom 14: 7-8).

DOCTRinal MESSAGE

With the parable of forgiveness, Jesus teaches us in a brilliant but discrete way that we are all debtors before God. Such debt exceeds our possibilities of payment, and it is therefore impossible for us to re-establish justice. There is only room for forgiveness and pardon. This is what God does. God gives us an example of forgiveness in the figure of the servant’s master. Jesus Christ follows the same path. "Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing" (Lk 23: 34). The huge debt that man has towards God is sin, in other words, falling short of God’s plan. In this situation, God could have exercised divine justice, causing man to eternally live separated God. Instead, God acts out of mercy and forgiveness. "And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt."

Forgiveness asks for forgiveness. Pardoned by God and reconciled with him, man must follow the divine footsteps of forgiveness, and forgive and be reconciled with his neighbor. At some point, we all offend others and are offended by them. Forgiving those who offend us and being forgiven by those whom we have offended is the attitude that God expects of us and for which he gives us his grace. It must be a generous pardon, with no limits of any kind, "seventy-seven times." It must be a forgiveness that stems from the forgiveness received by God. "Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?" (Mt 18: 33). Furthermore, it is a forgiveness that God has established as a condition for his pardoning us. "Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray" (Sir 28: 2). It must be a forgiveness motivated by the fact that the Christian does not belong to himself, but to the Lord. Therefore, what he does, he does for the Lord. We must thus show him respect, although he may think and act differently from us. If at any time we feel offended, we must be able to pardon him with all of our heart (Rom 14: 5-9). Finally, it is a forgiveness that must remain alive and sincere over time, removing from one’s heart and deeds any form of animosity, vengeance, and resentment. "Does a man harbor anger against another, and yet seek for healing from the Lord?" (Sir 28: 3).

PASTOral SUGGESTIONS

The Church, house of forgiveness. The Church is the house in which God lives and offers us his forgiveness. Since we do not only offend God but the Church as well, the Church too is the house in which he grants us his forgiveness. The Christian is reconciled with God and with the Church, especially through the sacrament of Reconciliation. I often wonder why Christians have a certain fear when receiving this sacrament. They even tend to have a certain "aversion" to it. Has the feeling of guilt perhaps diminished in the conscience of Christians? Is it perhaps because the sacrament is not perceived as a personal encounter with God, the Father of forgiveness and mercy? Are we as priests responsible for it, as perhaps in our sacramental ministry we do not reflect the loving attitude of the Father? As confessors, these are questions that we must not sweep away under the carpet. We must find answers so that the sacrament of forgiveness finds its place in Christian consciousness, and the Church may be the house of generous forgiveness for all.

The forms of this difficult forgiveness. Judging by the news in the papers and on television, forgiveness is indeed very difficult for the human heart. People show anger. They demand justice. They seek vengeance, but very seldom do we see someone who can forgive sincerely. The gesture of the Pope forgiving the man who shot him, Alì Agka, is not frequently reproduced on the television screen. I am sure that there are very many Christians who forgive and know how to forgive, but since they do not appear on television, it is as if they did not exist. In any event, there is no doubt that true forgiveness is difficult, and it requires a higher strength from God. 

Perhaps, it would thus be useful to speak of the different forms of forgiveness, which manifest forgiveness to a different degree: remaining silent before an impulse of anger, addressing in a friendly way those who have offended us in some way, respecting those who have insulted us without returning the insult, forgiving sincerely even though the intervention of justice is requested, shaking hands with or even embracing those who approach us and ask for our forgiveness, struggling to avoid falling prey to the desire for revenge, stepping forward to greet the person with whom we have had an argument, praying for those who have behaved in a contemptible way towards us or that have sworn at us, believing that the person did not intend to offend us in any way, overlooking minor everyday insults with love and patience, etc.

Source: http://www.clerus.org/clerus/dati/2004-05/21-13/CICLOA.html by P. ANTONIO IZQUIERDO L.C. (1948-2013)

[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].