Reciprocal Forgiveness
Brethren, forgiveness is the lifeblood of any Christian community. We cannot live together without upsetting one another, unwittingly, or even deliberately. So, forgiveness is the vital step. This stems from the fact that God has forgiven us much. The willingness to forgive those who offend us is a sacred duty. Forgiveness is not a feeling; it is an act of the will. But what happens when we do not choose to forgive? We run the risk that our own sins will be held against us. Our first reading for Mass today considers this point: “Forgive your neighbor the wrong done to you; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Does anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord? Can one refuse mercy to a sinner like oneself yet seek pardon for one’s own sins?” (Sirach 28:2-4).
When we forgive others, even and especially when they cannot make amends for how they have hurt us, we are not only acting in imitation of Christ but also paving way to our being forgiven when we ask for forgiveness from Him. St Paul encourages us to be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ” (Ephesians 4:32). Forgiving others stems from the fact that God through his son Jesus has forgiven us and thus we ought to forgive others too.
Jesus presents a parable of unforgiving servant to emphasize that to be forgiven, we must ourselves be willing to forgive others. The unforgiving servant owed an enormous sum of money - millions in our currency to his master. In Jesus' time this amount was greater than the total revenue of a province - more than it would cost to ransom a king! After this servant had pleaded his master for forgiveness, he was forgiven the whole of his debt. But he, who was forgiven such an incredible debt could not, however, bring himself to forgive his fellow servant a very small debt which was about one-hundred-thousandth of his own debt. When his master heard of this, it made his master withdraw the forgiveness from him and then put him in prison.
The fact is that we have been forgiven an enormous debt we could not repay on our own. No offence our neighbour can do to us can compare with our own personal debt to God for offending him! Our Father in heaven sent his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who freely and willingly gave up his life for our sake to ransom us from slavery to sin, Satan, and death. Paul the Apostle states, “...you do not belong to yourself. You have been purchased at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and that price was Jesus' death on the cross. That is why Paul still tells us in today's second reading that "None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. 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." Through the shedding of his blood on the cross, Jesus not only brought forgiveness and pardon for our offences, but release from our captivity to Satan and bondage to sin and thus we are his. We have been forgiven an enormous debt which we could never possibly repay. We owe God a debt of gratitude for the mercy and grace he has given us in his Son, Jesus Christ. We repay him only when we forgive others their sins and thus live in peace and harmony.
Brethren, we must be ready to forgive others, because you cannot receive what you are not willing to give away. Because we all have sinned, we have received the gift of God’s mercy; we are called to act merciful and compassionate, like God (see Psalms 103). If we do not show mercy and forgiveness to our fellow human beings, how can we expect God to forgive us in turn? The Apostle James says that "judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy" (James 2:13). Perhaps that doesn’t make sense at first, but it’s a very real fact of the spiritual life. If you want mercy, you must give mercy away, if you want forgiveness, you must offer forgiveness. But if you want harsh judgment and condemnation, then go ahead and offer harsh judgment and condemnation. Jesus will answer that act in kind and severity. Jesus is serious on this, He is ready to forgive us every time we come to him, but we must also be able to forgive others in return, otherwise we will not be forgiven.
Reflect on today's parable and readings calling us to forgiving others. If forgiving others is difficult, and if reflecting upon God’s mercy, kindness, compassion and love do not compel you to completely forgive everyone to the fullest extent, then spend time with this parable. “You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?” These are words directed at us when we fail to forgive completely from the depths of our hearts. They are merciful words from Jesus to help us wake up to what we need to do.
Let us Pray.
Lord Jesus, I realize that forgiving others can be difficult. Sometimes I am afraid of letting go of how others have hurt me. It makes me feel protected to hold on to that hurt. As I open my heart, help me to empty the fear and remember that you are my protector and have forgiven me for so many of my sins. May this truth lead me to forgive others unconditionally. Amen
Be blessed.
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