First Reading: (Ezekiel 12:1–12)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 78)
Response: Never forget the deeds of the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation:
A new commandment I give you, says the Lord:
love one another as I have loved you.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: (Matthew 18:21–19:1)
Reflection:
Forgiveness! Forgiveness! Forgiveness! We all have have one or two things to say about this one. We also know that we often find it hard to forgive others and ourselves for several reasons.
Perhaps it is because of the kind of thing that was done to them. It could be betrayal or something more. We can find it hard to forgive one who betrayed or worse something more tragic
It could also be because of the kind of person who did what they did. Perhaps it was a trusted friend, a spouse, or a sibling. No wonder the psalmist says, “If this had been done by an enemy, I could bear his stones. But it was done by you, someone I least expected it from.”
For that reason, some find it hard to forgive.
Some find it hard to forgive because of the number of times that the offender has consistently done it. It is not the first time, not the second, not the third, not even the fourth or the fifth. They kept doing the same thing all the time. They always did it. This time you said their cup was full, and you refuse to forgive.
Some find it hard to forgive because of how the offended felt, or still feels, as a consequence of what was done to them old time ago. They feel bitter. They feel empty. For that reason, some find it hard to forgive.
Others find it hard to forgive because the offenders have never ever apologized. Never have they said, “I am sorry for what I did.”
Perhaps if they apologized, they would have been forgiven.
Do you forgive someone who has never told you sorry for what they did?
For this reason, some find it hard to forgive.
Others find it hard to forgive because of the circumstances in which they found themselves before what was done to them. Perhaps they were desperate and needed help, but the help never came from those whom they expected it. And for that reason, they have chosen never to forgive.
If it were perhaps in an ordinary time, they would have understood. But not when they were desperate and badly needed your attention or help, and were failed.
And so on and so forth we go for plethora of reasons why some people find it hard to forgive.
Whatever the reasons may be, mind you, Jesus is not saying we should not feel hurt or feel bad. We have a right to feel hurt or to feel bad. When offended, we have every reason to be offended. We have every reason to feel sad. We have a right to express our feelings, our emotions, and disappointment.
Yet, there is also always a reason to forgive.
First, we forgive because God forgave us first. So it is a return favor.
In the parable, the king forgave the servant his debt. He expected him to show favor to his fellow servant.
“Look at you. I forgave you all that debt you owed me. Did you not also have to forgive your fellow servant?”
So we forgive because God forgave us first.
Look at the things we do to him. See how much we owe him, yet he forgives us our debt.
It is a reason, therefore, why we too must forgive others.
Do you know the kinds of things we do to God and how consistently, and even deliberately, we do them daily?
So we have no case to say, “I will not forgive because they have consistently done the same to me,” or, “I will not forgive because they deliberately did it.”
Yes, we do the same to God, yet he forgives us.
So it is a return favor.
We keep hurting God, yet he kept forgiving, and he kept no score of wrong.
We also have to forgive because it is the condition for our own forgiveness.
Forgiveness is a condition for our own forgiveness.
This is how God will refuse to forgive us if we refuse to forgive others.
And are you sure you are too good as not to need God's forgiveness?
And if the Lord were not to forgive us, who will survive?
“If you, O Lord, were to mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive?”
But you see, he forgives us.
And that is the condition we hear from the parable:
“This is how my heavenly Father will deal with each one of you if you fail to forgive your brother or your sister.”
So if we choose not to forgive, it means we are telling God directly:
“Don't forgive us as well.”
And if God does not forgive, we shall not make heaven.
This is the reason we forgive.
Jesus went through all we have been through, even worse, yet he forgave.
Forgiveness is not because the offender deserves it. We are not doing them a favor.
Rather, we are returning a favor God has done to us first.
Forgiveness is also doing Y
ourselves a favor. We are doing yourselves a favor.
Because when we forgive, indeed, we are the beneficiaries.
The true beneficiary of forgiveness is the one who forgives.
By forgiving, we choose not to let what happened bother us.
We choose to free our hearts, our minds, and our souls.
We choose peace over war.
We choose our mental health over brooding over an act for which, for all we know, we are killing ourselves, the offender is enjoying their life.
Just a little caution.
Remember, we are not God.
We may choose not to forgive them. We may choose not to act nicely towards them or to stop being supportive.
Yes.
But remember, we are not God.
We don't give them life.
So, with or without us, they will go on living their best life.
So you see, it is us hurting ourselves when we choose unforgiveness.
Forgiveness itself is a strength, not Weakness
Forgiveness becomes easy when we first forgive ourselves and remember how we are also sinners in need of God's forgiveness.
In fact, if not for God's forgiveness, we would not be here speaking.
Who are the people we found so hard to forgive?
Open our hearts and let them go.
Who are those who have offended us?
Even if they have never told us sorry, open our hearts and let them go.
Remember, we too need forgiveness from God.
God has forgiven you and I.
It is a return favor.
Forgive others and let them go.
And if it is us who offend others, why make it hard for them to forgive us?. Sometimes, we all play a role.
Let's go to them and apologize if we had a role in anything leading to their attitude or offense towards us.
Tell them we are sorry so that it can become an easy process for them to forgive us also.
Let us pray for that grace that both offender and offended may find the path, the journey towards peace and reconciliation, towards genuine forgiveness from the heart.
That offenders may always go to the offended and tell them they are sorry, acknowledge their mistake, and ask for forgiveness.
And that the offended may always find a place in their heart to forgive those who have offended them.
Amen 🙏
God bless you 🙏
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