From The American Bible Society:
September 11, 2011
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
This is a reminder to continue in your daily Lectio Divina Scripture reading. We’ve included the content again for you, to make it easier for you to continue to engage with God’s Word.
…UNLESS YOU FORGIVE YOUR BROTHER FROM YOUR HEART
Matthew 18:21-35 (Good News Translation)
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, if my brother keeps on sinning against me, how many times do I have to forgive him? Seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” answered Jesus, “but seventy times seven, 23 because the Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a king who decided to check on his servants' accounts. 24 He had just begun to do so when one of them was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 The servant did not have enough to pay his debt, so the king ordered him to be sold as a slave, with his wife and his children and all that he had, in order to pay the debt. 26 The servant fell on his knees before the king. “Be patient with me,” he begged, “and I will pay you everything!” 27 The king felt sorry for him, so he forgave him the debt and let him go. 28 Then the man went out and met one of his fellow servants who owed him a few dollars. He grabbed him and started choking him. “Pay back what you owe me!” he said. 29 His fellow servant fell down and begged him, “Be patient with me, and I will pay you back!” 30 But he refused; instead, he had him thrown into jail until he should pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were very upset and went to the king and told him everything. 32 So he called the servant in. “You worthless slave!” he said. ‘I forgave you the whole amount you owed me, just because you asked me to. 33 You should have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you. ’ 34 The king was very angry, and he sent the servant to jail to be punished until he should pay back the whole amount. ” 35 And Jesus concluded, “That is how my Father in heaven will treat every one of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
Other Readings: Sirach 27:30 – 28:9; Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12; Romans 14:7-9;
Lectio
One of the risks we run when dealing with the Scripture, especially with Jesus’ words, is taming them, making them seem reasonable, and depriving them of the feelings of unrest and scandal they should provoke in our conformist vision of the world. The question posed by Peter is a practical consequence of the attitude expected from Christians when dealing with sin in their midst (Matthew 18:15-20, the passage we read last Sunday). In this case, the sin is against me, a member of the community. One has the impression that Peter tries to give a logical, even generous answer to his own question, in advance to Jesus’ answer. But the parable Jesus offers as an example of forgiveness and mercy goes far beyond our human logic. Although forgiving our brother “seven times” may be an unselfish sign of condescendence, it limits itself to the world of reasonable behavior. In a sense, what we find in Sirach’s reading (and in Peter’s suggestion) is a simple tit for tat, a common rule of peaceful coexistence. It is nothing strictly Christian or even extraordinary. Using Jesus’ words from a similar context, “Even the pagans do that!” (Matthew 5:47). In fact, if we recall Jesus’ prayer, it is most significant that the only comment he makes concerns “forgiveness of wrongs,” and in that case, he limits its scope to a certain equivalence: “If you do not forgive others… your Father will not forgive you” (Matthew 6:14-15). In today’s parable, Jesus takes us a step further. Our lack of mercy deprives us of the possibility of receiving pardon from God. Of course, in the day of the Last Judgement (that is the context of the story), God will not forgive us unless we have forgiven others from our heart. But, at the same time, there is no condition regarding our having pardoned beforehand. That is precisely the situation of the first servant at the beginning of the parable. At that moment he has not been put to the test of forgiving anyone, but he is granted pardon without any merit on his part. We always receive pardon without any merit in our part. God forgives us not because we have previously forgiven others, but out of his own generosity and mercy. In the end, what we find here is a description of God as the forgiving and merciful Father who does not reject the prodigal son, “who makes his sun to shine on bad and good people” (Matthew 5:45), who “loved the world so much that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16).
Meditatio
In our society, as in that of Jesus’ time, justice is understood mainly as a restoration of things to a previous state; giving back what you stole, paying back what you owe. But in many cases, there is no way to “restore,” and justice may tend to become simply vengeance. All too often, in our personal relations, we keep memories of offenses and wrongdoings we have received and expect to get even, without any room or thought for mercy. Reflect on a couple of simple facts in your life. To what extent are you willing to pardon? Looking back to your life. Have you really forgiven from your heart, or do you still keep a list of resentments? Can you remember any occasion in which you have humbly asked to be pardoned?
Oratio
Give thanks that your sins were forgiven in baptism and, later on, if you are a Roman Catholic, by means of the sacrament of penance. Pray for yourself, that you may become a sign of God’s forgiveness and reconciliation, that you may bring peace to that part of the world where you live.
Contemplatio
Read today’s second reading, Romans 14:7-9. During the week, try to experience God’s presence in your daily activity and feel that whatever you do, wherever you go, either in life or in death, you belong to the Lord.
Reflections written by Rev. Fr. Mariano Perrón Director of Inter-Religious Affairs Archdiocese of Madrid, Spain
© 2010 American Bible Society. All Rights Reserved. 1865 Broadway, New York, NY 10023
September 11, 2011
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
This is a reminder to continue in your daily Lectio Divina Scripture reading. We’ve included the content again for you, to make it easier for you to continue to engage with God’s Word.
…UNLESS YOU FORGIVE YOUR BROTHER FROM YOUR HEART
Matthew 18:21-35 (Good News Translation)
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, if my brother keeps on sinning against me, how many times do I have to forgive him? Seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” answered Jesus, “but seventy times seven, 23 because the Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a king who decided to check on his servants' accounts. 24 He had just begun to do so when one of them was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 The servant did not have enough to pay his debt, so the king ordered him to be sold as a slave, with his wife and his children and all that he had, in order to pay the debt. 26 The servant fell on his knees before the king. “Be patient with me,” he begged, “and I will pay you everything!” 27 The king felt sorry for him, so he forgave him the debt and let him go. 28 Then the man went out and met one of his fellow servants who owed him a few dollars. He grabbed him and started choking him. “Pay back what you owe me!” he said. 29 His fellow servant fell down and begged him, “Be patient with me, and I will pay you back!” 30 But he refused; instead, he had him thrown into jail until he should pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were very upset and went to the king and told him everything. 32 So he called the servant in. “You worthless slave!” he said. ‘I forgave you the whole amount you owed me, just because you asked me to. 33 You should have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you. ’ 34 The king was very angry, and he sent the servant to jail to be punished until he should pay back the whole amount. ” 35 And Jesus concluded, “That is how my Father in heaven will treat every one of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
Other Readings: Sirach 27:30 – 28:9; Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12; Romans 14:7-9;
Lectio
One of the risks we run when dealing with the Scripture, especially with Jesus’ words, is taming them, making them seem reasonable, and depriving them of the feelings of unrest and scandal they should provoke in our conformist vision of the world. The question posed by Peter is a practical consequence of the attitude expected from Christians when dealing with sin in their midst (Matthew 18:15-20, the passage we read last Sunday). In this case, the sin is against me, a member of the community. One has the impression that Peter tries to give a logical, even generous answer to his own question, in advance to Jesus’ answer. But the parable Jesus offers as an example of forgiveness and mercy goes far beyond our human logic. Although forgiving our brother “seven times” may be an unselfish sign of condescendence, it limits itself to the world of reasonable behavior. In a sense, what we find in Sirach’s reading (and in Peter’s suggestion) is a simple tit for tat, a common rule of peaceful coexistence. It is nothing strictly Christian or even extraordinary. Using Jesus’ words from a similar context, “Even the pagans do that!” (Matthew 5:47). In fact, if we recall Jesus’ prayer, it is most significant that the only comment he makes concerns “forgiveness of wrongs,” and in that case, he limits its scope to a certain equivalence: “If you do not forgive others… your Father will not forgive you” (Matthew 6:14-15). In today’s parable, Jesus takes us a step further. Our lack of mercy deprives us of the possibility of receiving pardon from God. Of course, in the day of the Last Judgement (that is the context of the story), God will not forgive us unless we have forgiven others from our heart. But, at the same time, there is no condition regarding our having pardoned beforehand. That is precisely the situation of the first servant at the beginning of the parable. At that moment he has not been put to the test of forgiving anyone, but he is granted pardon without any merit on his part. We always receive pardon without any merit in our part. God forgives us not because we have previously forgiven others, but out of his own generosity and mercy. In the end, what we find here is a description of God as the forgiving and merciful Father who does not reject the prodigal son, “who makes his sun to shine on bad and good people” (Matthew 5:45), who “loved the world so much that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16).
Meditatio
In our society, as in that of Jesus’ time, justice is understood mainly as a restoration of things to a previous state; giving back what you stole, paying back what you owe. But in many cases, there is no way to “restore,” and justice may tend to become simply vengeance. All too often, in our personal relations, we keep memories of offenses and wrongdoings we have received and expect to get even, without any room or thought for mercy. Reflect on a couple of simple facts in your life. To what extent are you willing to pardon? Looking back to your life. Have you really forgiven from your heart, or do you still keep a list of resentments? Can you remember any occasion in which you have humbly asked to be pardoned?
Oratio
Give thanks that your sins were forgiven in baptism and, later on, if you are a Roman Catholic, by means of the sacrament of penance. Pray for yourself, that you may become a sign of God’s forgiveness and reconciliation, that you may bring peace to that part of the world where you live.
Contemplatio
Read today’s second reading, Romans 14:7-9. During the week, try to experience God’s presence in your daily activity and feel that whatever you do, wherever you go, either in life or in death, you belong to the Lord.
Reflections written by Rev. Fr. Mariano Perrón Director of Inter-Religious Affairs Archdiocese of Madrid, Spain
© 2010 American Bible Society. All Rights Reserved. 1865 Broadway, New York, NY 10023
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