Friends,
our Gospel today focuses on the gift of forgiveness. This is such an
anchor of the New Testament and so central to Jesus’ ministry and
preaching. When it comes to the offenses that we have received from
others, we are, all of us, great avatars of justice. We will remember
every insult, every snub, and every shortcoming when it comes to our
being hurt by others. That’s why forgiving even once or twice is so
difficult.
Forgiving seven
times, as Peter suggests, is beyond the pale. Yet Jesus says to him, "I
say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times." In other words,
forgive constantly, relentlessly, and without calculation. Your whole
life must become an act of forgiveness.
And
this is why Jesus tells the parable in
today’s Gospel. The man who had been forgiven so much should, at the
very least, show forgiveness to the one who owed him so much less.
Here
is the spiritual heart of the matter: whatever anyone owes you (in
strict justice) is infinitely less than what God has graciously given to
you; the divine forgiveness of you is infinitely greater than any
forgiveness you might be called upon to offer.
Becoming
an instrument of God’s life, grace, forgiveness, and peace is what it
is all about. Allow to flow through you what has been poured into
you—that is the whole
story.
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