Forgive as you are Forgiven By Beth DeCristofaro
The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house; they have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house. (Ezekiel 12:112)
Peter
approached Jesus 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. That is why the Kingdom of
heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his
servants. … His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I
forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had
pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to
the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt (Matthew 18:21-25)
Piety
May Christ inflame the desires of all people to break through the barriers which divide them, to strengthen the bonds of mutual love, to learn to understand one another, and to pardon those who have done them wrong.
Through Christ’s power and inspiration may all peoples welcome each other to their hearts as brothers and sisters, and may the peace they long for ever flower and ever reign among them.
(Pacem in Terris, Pope John XXIII)
Study
Thunder grumbles outside while I read these passages of punishment, exile and judgement. The foreboding atmosphere seems fitting. Ezekiel warns of impending destruction and exile. Jesus’ parable ends in torture for the greedy servant. However, the Word is trying to tell us about forgiveness. As the notes from the NAB regarding the Gospel say: The difference between the (servants') two debts is enormous and brings out the absurdity of the conduct of the Christian who has received the great forgiveness of God and yet refuses to forgive the relatively minor offenses done to him.[i]
Does God send us to the torturer? What God certainly does is give us the capacity to love and forgive and also the frailty of human nature to go against that God-given grace. There have been times in my life when I longed to be forgiven for something I have done or failed to do. And there have also been too many times that I have failed to forgive. There is a weight in my body, on my heart and obstructing my mind in these times. It is an ominous distraction like the thunder outside my window. My energy is expended in longing and remorse or holding onto my self-righteous hurts. This weight unbalances me from relationships with the other person and with God. We are hard-wired to be in relationship and being unbalanced, being weighed down, is its own kind of torture.
We cannot accept God’s great forgiveness if we do not open ourselves to forgiving – others and ourselves. We become imprisoned in a rebellious house, not freed; we are exiled not at home with God. To forgive, with God’s great grace animating us, is to be freed and to be at home in God’s indwelling spirit.
Action
Seventy-seven times? In these turbulent, conflict-ridden times, it feels as if we are out of patience. We leap to judgment based on groups we identify with or deem to be not of our house. Ask for Christ’s gentle guidance for patience, for forgiveness, for the grace to forgive. Reach out to someone you feel you need to forgive. See her/him with eyes to see. Listen with ears to hear. Love. Forgive.
Illustration: http://holytrinityanglicansa.com/uncategorized/forgiven-to-infinity-and-beyond-reflection-for-17-september-2017
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