“So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart” (Mt 18:35)
Unfortunately for many of us, we do not do forgiveness well, yet, Jesus is very clear with this parable that we need to. Our salvation depends on it! Go ahead, click the link below for today’s reading and read the full parable. We are to forgive because God has forgiven us, over and over again, and he will continue to over and over again. If we repent and are contrite, showing genuine sorrow for our sin, God will forgive us. As I learned from Pastor Barry Johnson when he was still the pastor at Jupiter First Church: “God loves us more than we can ever mess up.”
Jesus is clear throughout the Gospels and in today’s parable that God will forgive us, the issue at hand though is that we need to also forgive as God has forgiven us. The servant in this parable was forgiven his massive debt by the king. Shortly thereafter this same servant had the opportunity to forgive someone who owed him a much smaller debt, a no brainer that the servant would act in kind, yet, he did no such thing. He strangled his debtor, and when asked to be patient, he offered none and had the man placed in prison.
He couldn’t even use the excuse that he was so demanding because he wanted to pay his master back, because his master had forgiven his whole debt. Instead of being grateful and sharing the same grace he received, he did the opposite.
Our lives are emblematic of this parable. God has not only had compassion on us, he offers to forgive us, over and over. Pope Francs shared often that God never tires of forgiving us, we tire of asking for forgiveness. More amazing is that his Son, Jesus, gave his life to atone for our sins and to unleash the power of the sacraments including the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We are the recipients of his infinite mercy, grace, and forgiveness which we will never fully grasp and comprehend. Jesus’ forgiveness knows no bounds and is an unlimited, infinite wellspring that we can draw from again and again.
Waking up each day with gratitude for the gift of our life is a good start, yet, how many of us actually take the time to be thankful for the life we have been given? The freedom to breathe freely and deeply? Do we even practice the gift of intentionally and deeply breathing? Jesus reminds us that we show our thankfulness best when we forgive as we have been forgiven. We are to be patient with one another, we are to assume a stance of understanding and support, not one of condemnation and hardness of heart.
We don’t do forgiveness well, but we can improve. Maybe we don’t do so well because we do not avail ourselves of the wonderful gift we have been given. Let us breathe a little more intentionally, slow down, resist staying mired in our own self-guilt or pity, staying too busy to be aware, or we compare – I am not as bad as…
Wallowing in our guilt is not what Jesus asks of us. He calls us to humility and a healthy awareness of when we miss the mark of living a life of service and following the will of God. We are to examine our conscience daily to acknowledge what we have done and what we have failed to do, confess, commit to do better and begin again. For those who have access to the Sacrament of Reconciliation – which is a gift of mercy, not a dress down, there is great healing available.
There have been times when I have walked out of the confessional feeling as if a massive weight has been lifted. A comparison I can think of is when I had an asthma attack that was not being relieved by my normal inhalation of the inhaler. After receiving a shot of adrenaline from the doctor, within minutes I felt such relief and peace. Confession is wonderful medicine and antidote to self-sufficiency, self-reliance, and pride. Once a month is a good practice.
When we begin to experience God’s forgiveness more then we might be better able to offer more understanding and forgiveness. There is a lightness and a peace when we let go of a grudge or hurt we have held onto, especially those we have held onto for a long time. One small action that can help us to better forgive is to change the habit of saying, “That’s alright” when someone does apologize, and say instead, “I forgive you.”
If you are wondering now, as did Peter, how much are we to forgive? The answer is the same for us, “Seventy-seven times” or “Seventy-seven times seven”, meaning every opportunity we are given. Hopefully, we will begin to let go of the tight grip we have on our reactions, prejudices, and grudges and, unlike the wicked servant, recognize that in heaven and under heaven we are all brothers and sisters sharing the same invitation to receive and share the love of our God and Father. Will we receive his forgiveness and love, and will we share his forgiveness and love?
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Photo credit: The road to forgiveness and peace begins when we allow God to love and forgive us.
Spiritual Stepping Stones 