Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin
Each time we pray the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father…”), which is at least each Sunday at mass, perhaps more often if we pray it on our own or with our children during the week, we are asking God to “forgive us our trespasses (or debts) as we forgive those who trespass against us (our debtors).” (taken from Matthew 6:12) Today’s gospel reading (Matthew 18: 21-19:1) is about just that. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant is a somewhat jarring parable intended to bring home Jesus’ important message of forgiveness.
The gospel reading begins with Peter asking Jesus how often he must forgive his brother when he sins against him and generously suggesting the answer, “as many as seven times?” Jesus takes it further saying, “not seven times but seventy-seven times.” Clearly Jesus is not saying you don’t have to forgive the seventy-eighth time; rather, he is making the point that the disciples’ (and our) forgiveness is to be limitless – just as God’s forgiveness is limitless.
But the gospel doesn’t end there. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant is then used to teach that we are expected to forgive others with compassion as God forgives us with compassion and without limit. And we are reminded that the forgiveness is to be from our heart, not grudgingly, not half-heartedly, not manipulatively. I can speak from experience that it is not an easy part of discipleship and, sometimes, perhaps one of the most difficult aspects. But not without its rewards.
How is it that it often seems so much easier to hang onto our hurt and anger and wear it like a protective cloak? Maybe it feels comfortable after a while; perhaps I feel protected in that cloak of anger and resentment. Am I afraid of being too vulnerable if I shed that cloak and allow myself to forgive? Vulnerability means letting myself be emotionally closer to other people, even the person I am angry with; and I may be hesitant to take that risk. But it also means being closer to God and opens me to God’s grace in my life. And that’s the reward, because then healing can take place and love can grow and God’s goodness is more evident in our lives.
In today’s first reading (Ezekiel 12:1-12), we hear of how the prophet Ezekiel is being called by God to perform dramatic, symbolic acts to relay God’s message to the people of Israel that they are a rebellious people, “they have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear….”
Let us reflect today on how we may be rebelling against God’s call for us to forgive someone who has hurt or wronged us in some way. Are we refusing to see and hear what Jesus is calling us to? Accepting God’s forgiveness brings with it a responsibility to forgive others in return. Forgiving others requires shedding my cloak of anger, pride and resentment. Let us ask God to help us take off the cloak of unforgiving and be open to God’s healing grace in our lives.
-Eileen Miller