Then
Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against
me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not
seven times, but I tell you seventy-seven times.”
For
this reason, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to
settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought
to him; and as he could no pay, his Lord ordered him to be sold, together with
his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the
slave fell on his knees before him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will
pay you everything.” And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave
him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow-slaves
who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him by the throat, he said, “Pay
what you owe.” The fellow-slave fell down and pleaded with him, “Have patience
with me, and I will pay you.” But he refused; then he went and threw him into
prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had
happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their
lord all that had taken place… And in anger, his lord handed him over to be
tortured until he should pay his entire debt. “So my heavenly Father will also
do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your
heart.”
Father Dan Donovan emphasized “forgiveness”
as the gospel theme, which is a distinguishing feature of the life of Jesus and
his disciples. In our present times, the parable is appropriate to victims of
abuse, violence, acts of terrorism, loss of lives, loss of jobs or those who
are hurt by circumstances surrounding their lives. For some people, it takes
years before they are able to forgive because of the harm done to them while
for others there is the desire for revenge to instill on someone who has hurt
them. What is required of the society is to forgive instead of harming others.
Forgiveness is a special grace from God and a sign of personal and
psychological balance to live harmoniously. We are invited to pray the “OUR
FATHER” as a powerful prayer of forgiveness, which is commonly used in
confession. When we forgive, we can attain peace of mind, which is a gift of
love from God, and feel His presence alive in us.
