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March 14, 2023
“So will my Heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”
It is clear and obvious: today’s readings are about forgiveness. In the first reading, Azariah trusts God and begs for mercy, compassion, and forgiveness for the transgression of his people. The Psalmist also pleads for God’s compassion and mercies. And that is God, merciful. However, in today’s Gospel, Jesus calls us to see and experience God in this way only if we act the same way toward our brothers and sisters.
We are called to forgive those who wronged us. Forgiveness is the greatest gift a person can offer to him or herself. By forgiving, one can feel freer and happier. As a child growing up, I felt subconscious resentment and bitterness toward my father when he abandoned us. In 1998, I came across a little book titled Why Am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am, by John Powell, S.J. Reading it was a gift to me, it changed my life. It made such a great difference in my life. I learned how important forgiveness is and therefore, I was able to forgive my father for his mistakes. Ever since I have felt like, when I forgive, I am a totally different person, a free and happy man.
Peter probably thought that he was being generous when he approached Jesus and asked if a brother wrongs him how many times should he forgive him, as many as seven times? Jesus’ answer must have shocked him. Not only seven times but seventy-seven times, which means always. We have to forgive those who do us wrong each and every time because that is what God does for us, and because by forgiving we benefit and improve our lives a great deal. It reminds me of the old saying: “The enemy drinks the poison and leaves you to die.” Don’t allow the other one to drink the poison and leave you to die. Make yourself a great gift, asking God for the grace of forgiving one another.
The French philosopher Jean Piaget once said that “Forgiveness is a proper act of people who have reached a higher and authentic maturity”. I couldn’t agree more. As Christians, we are called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, our Teacher who, even on the cross, prayed for those who were crucifying him. In the Our Father Jesus taught us to pray, asking God the Father to forgive us, to be merciful towards us; he showed us, with his life, what forgiveness means. In today’s gospel, the shocking example of the unforgiving servant warns us very strongly: My Heavenly Father will have to deal with you the same way unless each one of you forgives your brother from your heart.