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24th Sunday Ordinary Time

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Cycle A

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A180: In today's gospel (Matt 18:21-35) we are being asked to forgive others "seventy times seven times"?? Isn't that impossible?

"Seventy times seven" means an endless number of times ... forgiveness without end! Every parent has experienced this endless process and knows how necessary it is to a child's growth to receive forgiveness repeatedly. Our "training" in forgiveness begins as that child, who experiences repeated forgiveness. But we have to grow up! Now it is our turn to forgive. Now we can model our parents' forgiveness, who in turn were modeling the forgiveness of Jesus!

It is impossible to exist in this world without being hurt by others. This is especially true of the Christian who will always be at odds with the God-less world around us. Nevertheless, we are being called to share in the divinity of Christ by exercising the divine attribute of forgiveness.

The flip-side of this coin is to ask forgiveness of those we have offended. This is even harder for us to do! And yet it is possible to ask forgiveness and to give it only because we have been forgiven a far greater debt. The Cross always looms as an awesome reminder of the debt that has been canceled and of the standard of forgiveness that has been established – even for those who "know not what they do."

Reflection: How is My record when it comes to forgiveness? For those impossible situations, our prayer request today could be two-fold. First, to beg the Father to give us a heart of compassion, a forgiving heart, a heart like Jesus. Secondly, we could pray for the courage to ask forgiveness from those we have offended. To be "sorry" is not enough; we must take the further reconciling step of asking for forgiveness.

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Keeping up a nodding acquaintance

Sarah Hewit Frier was the niece of Father Augustine Hewit, C.S.P., associate founder, in 1858, of the famous American religious order, the Paulist Fathers. Through her Paulist connection, she became acquainted, as a girl, with the great American convert, journalist and philosopher, Orestes A. Brownson. But apart from having famous kith and kin, Sarah achieved a bit of glory on her own as the author of a catchy little epigram.

A few years before her death in 1953 she wrote these wise and witty lines which all of all would do well to remember and act on:

Every day I pass the church,
I stop and make a visit,
For fear that when I'm carried there

The Lord will say, "Who is it?

" ...Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay and cease from sin!" (Sirach, 28; 6 Today's first reading)

If your day is hemmed with prayer, it is less likely to unravel.

-Father Robert F. McNamara

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Q336: To “forgive” another 77 times (Mt 18:21-35) seems to be an exaggeration. Is there a way to break open the meaning intended by Jesus?

Several years ago a preacher friend named Mark Whittaker (ecumenical preachers network called PRCL) said something that always stuck with me. He asked this question: If Ed McMahon came to your door with a check for $11 million dollars, how would you say “thank you”? Is something more required than just jumping up and down for the cameras?

If you think about it, just how do you say a meaningful “thank you” to someone who has saved your life? Or is it just impossible to express your feelings in a way that would seem to “match” the gift itself? Look at the Crucifix in your church and in your home (if you don’t have one, are you sure you are a Christian?). That simply represents a most incredible and unrepeatable gift, the gift of eternal life. The Crucifix is "the" sign of our eternal salvation! Yes, eternal salvation! Just how do you say “thanks” to a gift like that?!

We Americans tend to think in terms of “obligations” - - we were invited to a great party, now we feel “obligated” to pay them back… we were given a great birthday gift, now we have to match it in return… Oh, you dumb Americans (that includes me)! We need to learn simply to accept the gift with love, with no strings attached, with no obligations. And it is out of that very same love that we do, in fact, respond in kind with as much love as we can muster for the purpose.

God has forgiven us for all of our sins. What is our response? There is no way we can “repay” him for his free gift of love. But if our hearts are tuned in correctly, we will learn that love freely given drives us to give it away. Jesus forgave us our sins, paying a terrible price for our sinfulness, showing the depth of his love for his brothers and sisters. Now that very same gift calls us to give away - in imitation of Jesus – all of the love and forgiveness we have in our hearts, gifts to be passed on to others. “77 times” means Jesus wants it all – all the forgiveness in our hearts, all of the gratitude, all of the love - - gifts he gave us for the simple purpose of passing them on as his disciples.

Know Your Catechism! The gates of forgiveness are always open to anyone who turns away from sin (CCC #982). Everyone must be tireless in forgiving each other both the petty and the serious; the charity of Christ demands it (CCC #2227). It is our own heart that binds us to heaven or hell, just like the “merciless servant” found out in today’s gospel (CCC #2843).

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