Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

My dear parishioners,

 

God is Good!!!  All the Time!!!  And All the Time!!!  God is Good!!!

 

This reading beautifully demonstrates Sirach’s skill with words as he presents readers with practical wisdom for their daily lives. The principal resource for his instruction is the law of Moses, a strong foundation for a right relationship with God. The prevailing opinion is that Sirach collected his man insightful teachings during the early decades of the second century BC. By the conclusion of that century, a grandson had translated his work from Hebrew into Greek, thereby assuring that his words would reach a wider audience.

Rabbis at the time of Jesus often debated how many times a person can and should be forgiven. Three times was considered very generous. That debate is reflected in today’s Gospel.

As many as seven times. Peter certainly is speaking for all the disciples when he asks Jesus how many times a sinful brother should be forgiven. Peter was also probably convinced that his suggestion of as many as seven times was more than generous. Imagine the shock Peter must have felt when Jesus said, “not seven times but 77 times!” This was Jesus’ way of saying that forgiveness must be unlimited, far  exceeding what the rabbis would have suggested. Jesus’ point is that divine generosity differs greatly from human generosity.

The compassionate king. Jesus exemplifies the kingdom of heaven by telling a parable about a compassionate king and two indebted servants. The first servant owes the king a huge amount of money that could never be paid back in a lifetime. Initially, the king orders that the servant and his whole family be sold in payment of the debt. However, when that servant pleads with the king for compassion and mercy, the king forgives his servant the loan.

The unforgiving servant. Ironically, the servant who has just experienced the immense generosity of this king encounters a fellow servant who owed him a small amount. Unlike the forgiving king, this   servant insists on being paid back in full or he would put the second servant in prison. And that is what happened. The king hears about this unforgiving servant and in turn reverses his generosity, sending that servant to prison and torture. This parable represents a commentary on the fifth petition of the Lord’s prayer. “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” (6:12; Luke 11:4). The king manifests compassion in sharp contrast to the forgiven servant. Peter’s question about forgiveness and Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant together form a catechism on forgiveness. As one acts, so will one be judged. Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org.©2023. All rights reserved

 

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Aloysius