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Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like that of a king who thought to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to do the math, he was presented with one who owed him ten thousand talents. Since he had nothing to return, the ruler ordered that it be sold together with his wife and children and with all the goods for payment. Then, falling at his feet, the servant pleaded with him: “Be patient with me! I will give it my all! ”
Taking mercy on that servant, the ruler released him and gave him a debt. As soon as he left, that servant met one of his friends, who owed him a hundred cents, and grabbed him and strangled him, saying, “Give up the debt!” Falling to his knees, the friend pleaded with him: “Be patient with me! I’ll give you everything. “But he refused, took it and put him in jail until he paid the debt.
Seeing what had happened, the other servants became very saddened. They went and told the ruler what had happened. Then the lord called him and said: Evil servant, all that debt I forgave you, because you wanted me. Didn’t you have to have mercy on your friend like I had mercy on you ?! “So will my heavenly Father do to you, if from your heart you do not forgive each of his brother his offenses. (Mt 18, 21–35)
Spiritual life thermometer
As we speak in the Lord’s Prayer to Our Father, we ask: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we also forgive those who offend us.” Prayer reminds us of the need to forgive our injuries and insults, because only then can we expect God’s mercy.
This provision was also understood in the times of the Old Law; In the book of Syracuse we read: “Forgive your neighbor the wrong done, then, when you pray, your sins will be forgiven (Sir 28: 2).
The ability to forgive bears witness to our spiritual conscience.
The ability to forgive testifies to our spiritual awareness that we already understand that the essence of Christianity is not just praying or visiting church, but faithful adherence to what Jesus Christ taught, and the essence of His teaching is living in love. Forgiveness is the face of true love.
But forgiveness is a difficult virtue. It is no coincidence that Peter asked how many times the offending brother needed to be forgiven. Jesus’ response to Peter was unexpected: “I do not tell you up to seven, but up to seventy times seven” (Mt 18:22). Jesus made it clear that forgiveness is always necessary.
On that occasion, Jesus made a picturesque comparison of the two debtors. One of them was so in debt that he could not have paid the debt until his death, but in his prayer the debt of mercy was donated. However, with great mercy, he forced another debtor to pay him a small debt of just one hundred denarii and, due to his cruelty, he was handed over to the executioners until he paid the entire debt. Jesus concluded the parable of the debtors with an imperative thought: “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each one of you forgive his brother from your heart his trespasses” (Mt 18:35).
Forgiveness is the face of true love.
The damage experienced awakens anger and the desire for revenge at the same time. In this way, it is hoped to reduce their pain and force the abuser to survive the consequences of their actions. Unfortunately, by focusing on the evils we suffer, we not only lose the right to God’s mercy, but we also lose peace. This is the price we pay for not being able to forgive.
Forgiveness is especially difficult for those who lack humility. A humble person understands that he himself is wrong. For a humble person it is very understandable for St. Paul’s exhortation: “Be patient with one another and forgive each other if you have any complaints against each other” (Col 3:13).
We must forgive not only others but ourselves. Forgiveness in the sense that by mistake we would not be surprised at how it could have happened that we had sinned. “For there is no man on earth who is so righteous, for man to do good and never sin” (Kohl 7:20), say the sages of the Old Law.
Considering ourselves sinners, as Pope Francis does. Let’s be patient with ourselves, because some habits and sins are very difficult to eliminate. Make every mistake a lesson well learned so it doesn’t have to be repeated over and over again.
Make every mistake a lesson well learned so it doesn’t have to be repeated over and over again.
When it’s difficult to forgive someone, let’s remember the price Jesus paid for our sins. In the presence of the cross, we can only be ashamed of our pride and awkwardness to forgive. Every Mass we attend reminds us that the blood of the Lord was shed for the remission of our sins (cf. Mt 26: 27-28).
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