24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Then Peter approached and asked him, ‘Lord if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus answered, “I say to you not seven times, but seventy seven times.” (Matt 18:21-22) Jesus is saying that a person must forgive all the time.

To emphasize the importance of mercy and forgiveness, Jesus gives the parable of the unforgiving servant. The king took pity on his servant and cancelled a debt that would be impossible to pay. The surprise comes when the same servant refuses to forgive a small debt from one of his own debtors. The problem is that the servant was never filled with gratitude for the mercy shown to him by the king. He thought he had out-smarted the king. The servant didn’t appreciate the mercy given to him, and so he wasn’t able to offer mercy to others. The point here is that God has already forgiven a debt we could never repay. Mercy is God’s gift, and we should share it gratefully.  

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