Sirach 27:30–28:7; Psalm 103; Romans 14:7–9; Matthew 18:21–35
Why Must We Forgive?
My dear friends, today is the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The readings remind us of one of the core Christian callings and practices: forgiveness. The Kingdom of God is built upon love that forgives. God Himself showed us this by sending His Son so that He might forgive our sins and teach us how to forgive.
We cannot claim to be Christians and yet refuse to forgive. All of us would like to be forgiven whenever we make mistakes or hurt others. But when it is our turn to forgive, we often begin to hesitate and struggle with our willingness to forgive.
In the first reading, the very first sentence confronts us with a reality that we often ignore, yet whose consequences we eventually suffer: whoever sets in motion a wicked plan will find that it rolls back upon him or her. There is a common saying, “What goes around comes around.”
Our world today has many broken parts: broken families, broken communities, broken relationships, broken contracts and agreements, broken systems, broken diplomatic relations, and the list can go on. In many cases, these broken relationships are the result of a lack of true forgiveness.
When we are strong, we tend to think that we will never become weak. When we are in power, we sometimes treat others as if that power will last forever. Nevertheless, countless times we have been forced to eat humble pie. Sometimes we think that the world is cruel and unfair to us. We blame everyone else but ourselves for our own bitterness. We forget that we reap what we sow.
For example, we live bitter lives because we carry grudges in our hearts. We suffer from stress, depression, stomach problems, and high blood pressure because we carry heavy loads of hatred, resentment, anger, and contempt toward others. As we become sick because of these burdens, the people we dislike or hate, for whatever reasons—whether justified or not—continue with their lives.
Forgiveness is not optional. It is both a natural and a divine commandment. If we do not forgive, we suffer both natural and divine consequences. The natural consequences are what I have already mentioned, while the divine consequences include our alienation from God’s love and grace.
Just as we need food to keep our bodies strong, we need even more of God’s grace to keep our souls and spirits healthy and energetic. People who suffer from spiritual malnutrition often live bitter lives. They find it difficult to see anything good in others or even in themselves.
However, as the Swahili proverb reminds us, “Mkuki kwa nguruwe mtamu, lakini kwa mwanadamu mchungu.” Literally, it means that when the spear is directed at a pig, it may seem sweet, but when it is directed at a human being, it is painful. In other words, we may easily hurt others, but we ourselves do not want to experience pain.
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus gives us an example of such an attitude—an attitude that is unfortunately not new in our communities. A man owed his master a huge debt and was unable to pay it. According to the circumstances described in the Gospel, he and his family were to be sold in order to recover the debt. However, when he begged his master for patience, the master did more than he had asked. He showed him mercy and forgave the entire debt.
Naturally, the man must have been extremely happy and felt greatly relieved because he had received his freedom back. All of us would expect him to behave in the same way as his master when he encountered a fellow servant who owed him a much smaller amount. But this wicked servant, as he is described in the passage, very quickly forgot what it felt like to be at the point of losing everything because of debt. Instead, he treated his fellow servant mercilessly.
However, in a very rare and commendable scenario in our world today, the other servants found his actions extremely despicable. They could not simply remain silent. They went and reported the matter to their master, condemning this behavior. This is what we may refer to as community consciousness.
All living creatures instinctively struggle for their preservation. Even those who take their own lives are, in such moments, experiencing a profound disturbance because it is not natural for a living being to desire to cease existing. Even the smallest insects fight desperately for their lives when they are attacked.
We all know what it means to be mistreated, rejected, humiliated, or hurt. We know that pain. Yet, despite knowing it, we sometimes continue to hurt others. What we forget is that life has a way of balancing things. We often receive the same measure that we give to others, whether immediately or at a later time if we do not repent.
The action taken by the other servants in today’s Gospel is therefore very commendable. It is the kind of community consciousness that should exist in our society. If we all condemn injustice and crime in our communities, we will reap the benefits of a safer and more just society. But if we continue to fold our hands and say, “The problem is not mine,” we may be surprised when the same problem eventually knocks on our own door.
My dear friends, today I would like to invite each one of us to examine how we respond to the problems and suffering of others. Do we rejoice when others suffer because we believe they deserve it? Do we remain silent when someone is treated unjustly because we think the matter does not concern us? Are we able to forgive those who have hurt us? And do we remember that we ourselves constantly depend on God’s mercy and forgiveness?
Let us ask our Lord to give us the grace to imitate His attitude of mercy and forgiveness toward our brothers and sisters. May we become people who forgive, people who show mercy, and people who build communities through love rather than hatred and resentment.
Have a forgiving Sunday!
Fr. Lawrence Muthee, SVD
SVD JAMBO KENTAN 