24th Sunday of the Year A
Readings: Sirach 27:30‑28:7 Romans 14:7‑9 Matthew 18:21‑35
Forgiveness of those who have wronged us may be one of the most difficult teachings of the Jewish and Christian traditions, but in today's readings we learn that it is absolutely essential if we are to truly experience the God of Moses and Jesus. Conscious of our own need for forgiveness and the necessity of extending forgiveness to others, let us gratefully sing this Sunday's responsorial psalm: "The Lord is kind and merciful/ slow to anger, and rich in compassion" (Ps 103).
The wisdom sayings of the Book of Sirach remind us that Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness of the enemy is a continuation of his own Jewish tradition. Sirach's reflections about the destructive nature of wrath and anger are rooted in his understanding of the nature of the covenant God of Israel. In mercy the Most High has entered a covenant with Israel and overlooked its faults, and as a consequence the children of Israel are to set aside vengeance and to forgive one another. They cannot directly repay God for his forgiveness; only if they extend forgiveness to others, do they properly understand the demands of God's covenant love. “Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Should a man nourish anger against his fellows and expect healing from the Lord? Should a man refuse mercy to his fellows, yet seek pardon for his own sins?”
Paul's reflections in the Romans reading come in the midst of a chapter in which he is urging two factions in the community to be considerate and non‑judgmental of one another. The "weak in faith" (probably Jewish‑Christians) are keeping certain dietary restrictions and observing special days (the Sabbath?), but others are eating whatever they want and consider every day alike. In both cases, the individuals are acting in sincerity "for the Lord." Therefore, Paul urges both groups to leave judgment to the Lord. The basis for this attitude is that Christians are no longer their own masters. They belong to the Lord, to Christ who died and came to life again for them. They are to live and die as his responsible servants, and each of them will have to give an account before the judgment seat of God. “For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die we are the Lord’s. For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. Why then do you judge your brother? Or you, why do you look down on your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.”
The Gospel reading continues the theme of forgiveness with the unforgettable story of the unforgiving servant. The context for Jesus' parable is the conclusion of the discourse in Matthew 18 on relations among Christians. Peter tries to force Jesus to make a legal determination of how often one must extend forgiveness to a brother who has wronged him. Peter's initial proposal of forgiving “seven times” seems quite generous, but Jesus replies that forgiveness should be unlimited. “No, not seven times; I say, seventy times seven times.”
He then proceeds to illustrate the folly and tragedy of not being forgiving with a parable about the “reign of God.” The behavior of the king in the parable is surprising. At first when he discovers that one of his officials owes him 10,000 talents (a huge sum equivalent to billions of dollars in our currency), he orders that the official be “sold, along with his wife, children, and all his property.” But, when the official begs, “My lord, be patient with me and I will pay you back in full,” the king is moved with pity, releases the official, and writes off the debt.
The next scene mirrors the first with, of course, significant differences. When the same official, having just been forgiven a huge debt, goes out, he meets a fellow servant who owes him 100 denarii, a debt that could reasonably be repaid. But when his fellow servant asks for patience in the same words as the official had, “Be patient with me, and I will pay you back,” the official refuses and has his fellow servant put in jail until he pays back what he owed. When the master hears of the official's callous behavior, he confronts him with his lack of compassion: “You worthless wretch! I canceled your entire debt when you pleaded with me. Should you not have dealt mercifully with your fellow servant, as I dealt with you?” Jesus ends his parable by warning, “My heavenly Father will treat you in exactly the same way unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”
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