20150310 REMEMBERING THE MERCIES OF THE LORD AS THE PRE-REQUISTE
FOR EXTENDING MERCY TO OTHERS
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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Daniel
3:25,34-43 ©
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Azariah stood in the
heart of the fire, and he began to pray:
Oh! Do not abandon us
for ever,
for the sake of your
name;
do not repudiate your
covenant,
do not withdraw your
favour from us,
for the sake of
Abraham, your friend,
of Isaac your
servant,
and of Israel your
holy one,
to whom you promised
descendants as countless as the stars of heaven
and as the grains of
sand on the seashore.
Lord, now we are the
least of all the nations,
now we are despised
throughout the world, today, because of our sins.
We have at this time
no leader, no prophet, no prince,
no holocaust, no
sacrifice, no oblation, no incense,
no place where we can
offer you the first-fruits
and win your favour.
But may the contrite
soul, the humbled spirit be as acceptable to you
as holocausts of rams
and bullocks,
as thousands of
fattened lambs:
such let our
sacrifice be to you today,
and may it be your
will that we follow you wholeheartedly,
since those who put
their trust in you will not be disappointed.
And now we put our
whole heart into following you,
into fearing you and
seeking your face once more.
Do not disappoint us;
treat us gently, as
you yourself are gentle
and very merciful.
Grant us deliverance
worthy of your wonderful deeds,
let your name win
glory, Lord.
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Psalm
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Psalm 24:4-6,7-9
©
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Remember your
mercy, Lord.
Lord, make me know
your ways.
Lord,
teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your
truth, and teach me:
for you
are God my saviour.
Remember your
mercy, Lord.
In you I hope all day
long
because
of your goodness, O Lord.
Remember your mercy,
Lord,
and the
love you have shown from of old.
Do not remember the
sins of my youth.
In your
love remember me.
Remember your
mercy, Lord.
The Lord is good and
upright.
He shows
the path to those who stray,
He guides the humble
in the right path,
He
teaches his way to the poor.
Remember your
mercy, Lord.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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cf.Lk8:15
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Glory and praise to
you, O Christ!
Blessed are those
who,
with a noble and
generous heart,
take the word of God
to themselves
and yield a harvest
through their perseverance.
Glory and praise to
you, O Christ!
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Or
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Joel2:12-13
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Glory and praise to
you, O Christ!
Now, now – it is
the Lord who speaks –
come back to me with
all your heart,
for I am all
tenderness and compassion.
Glory and praise to
you, O Christ!
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Gospel
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Matthew 18:21-35
©
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Peter went up to
Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As
often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but
seventy-seven times.
‘And
so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his
accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man
who owed ten thousand talents; but he had no means of paying, so his master
gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all
his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at
his master’s feet. “Give me time” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And
the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the
debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who
owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to
throttle him. “Pay what you owe me” he said. His fellow servant fell at his
feet and implored him, saying, “Give me time and I will pay you.” But the other
would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should
pay the debt. His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had
happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him.
Then the master sent for him. “You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all
that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have
pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the
master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And
that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your
brother from your heart.’
REMEMBERING
THE MERCIES OF THE LORD AS THE PRE-REQUISTE FOR EXTENDING MERCY TO OTHERS
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: DN 3:25 – 43; PS 25:4-5a, 6 & 7bc, 8 – 9; MT 18:21 – 35
Forgiveness is a central
theme during the
season of Lent. This is because Easter is the celebration of the
redemptive and reconciling work of Christ accomplished on the Cross and in His
resurrection. By His passion and vicarious death on the cross, He
revealed to us the Father’s unconditional love and mercy. It is
this mercy and limitless love of God revealed in the paschal mystery that sins
are forgiven because man comes to recognize his sinfulness and is awakened in
love.
However, this reconciling
work of Christ would not be complete if men are also not reconciled among
themselves. The reconciliation that Christ has come to bring is not
simply our reconciliation with God, but within ourselves, and with
others. The righteousness of God demands that we are in right
relationship with God, others and self.
It is within this context
that the question of forgiveness of our fellowmen is raised in today’s
liturgy. “Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I
forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’” Peter must
be disheartened at Jesus’ response, “Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven
times.” In Hebrew the figure of seventy times seven means “always”.
Forgiving our fellowmen is
already difficult enough but to forgive again and again seems to be
quite a tall order. Surely there should be limits to forgiveness! But
how can anyone forgive all the time? Before we deal with the how we
must first be convinced of the why, because if we are convinced of the why, we
will then find the how.
The truth is that if we
do not forgive, then we cannot receive forgiveness from God. Jesus
warns us in the gospel, “And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you
unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.” So long as we
allow unforgiveness to have a hold on our lives, we can never fully open
ourselves to God’s mercy.
So how can we find the
wisdom and the strength to forgive without conditions and limits?
We can offer limitless forgiveness only if we come to realize that we
have received limitless forgiveness from God.
The parable in today’s
gospel and also in the first reading express the great contrast between our
calculating approach to forgiveness, and God’s infinite mercy. We are
clearly and totally in God’s debt. The indebted servant owed his master
10,000 talents compared to his fellow servant who owed him 100 denarii.
It is to be noted that a talent was the equivalent of 6000 denarii, and a
denarius a working man’s daily wage. So 10,000 talents converted is equal
to 60 million denarius! What is a 100 denarii compared to 60 million?
The corollary therefore is
that if God has been so generous with His mercy, we should do likewise by forgiving
our brothers and sisters wholeheartedly from the pardon we have received from
Him. Like the master, the Lord challenges us, “Should you not have
dealt mercifully with your fellow servant, as I dealt with you?” (Mt
18:33) To forgive means to forgive from our hearts from the forgiveness
and mercy we ourselves have benefitted from.
But as the psalmist hinted,
we often forget God’s mercy! We have forgotten the price
of God’s forgiveness for our sins. We are part of the
reason why Jesus was tortured and crucified for us. Our sins are manifestations
of our ingratitude and lack of love for the God who created and loved us even
unto death. Yet even in our sinfulness, God has forgiven us freely again
and again, despite our frequent infidelities. If only we realize this,
then whatever injuries or offences we suffer in life is nothing compared to the
sufferings of God in Christ on the cross. That is why, to forgive, we
must first be conscious of our own sinfulness and unworthiness in receiving
God’s forgiveness.
How then can we remember
His mercy? We
are called to follow the example of Azariah who prayed a sincere prayer of
repentance with deep humility and recognition of the sinfulness of
Israel. Instead of putting the blame on someone else or making excuses, he
accepted whatever punishment they deserved. We must come to God with a
contrite heart and humble spirit. This means being aware of our sins, and
having contrition and remorse for them
He expressed the nation’s
desire to amend their lives when he said, “But may the contrite soul, the
humbled spirit be as acceptable to you…” At the same time, he recalled
God’s faithful love for them. He said, “Do not abandon us for ever,
for the sake of your name; do not repudiate your covenant, do not withdraw your
favour from us…” He also confessed his trust in God’s merciful love, “Do
not disappoint us; treat us gently, as you yourself are gentle and very
merciful. Grant us deliverance worthy of your wonderful deeds, let your name
win glory, Lord.”
Truly, we must never
despair of God’s mercy. We can rely on God’s mercy whenever we have
sinned, no matter how grave our sins are. All we need to do is to realize
our nothingness and powerlessness to save ourselves. If only we confess
our guilt in all humility and implore His grace, He would give us the strength
to fight and win the spiritual battle against Satan and against the sins of the
flesh. We need not wait until we are down and out before we turn to Him,
like many others do. Why do we want to prolong our misery? All we need
is to humble ourselves now before the mercy seat of God’s throne and ask for
help and forgiveness.
Quite often it is pride
that prevents us from seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness. This
explains why we never experience forgiveness. This is especially true
when it comes to the sacrament of reconciliation. It is our pride that
prevents us from revealing our sins to another person. Shame is a
consequence of sin as in the case of Adam and Eve who tried to hide their
sins. The feeling of shame which comes from pride however condemns us.
But a true recognition and acceptance of our sinfulness is the first step to
liberation and total freedom. God does not condemn us.
Yes, if we want to find the
strength to forgive, we must confess our sins and then meditate on the
passion of Christ to give us strength. Only then can we be touched by
His great love and His unconditional mercy for us, and only then can we in turn
be merciful and forgiving towards others.
Those who cannot forgive
are those who have never experienced God’s forgiveness. If we find it hard to forgive,
then let us sincerely beg God for this grace today. If we are
sincere in our desire to forgive, then God will give us the grace of
forgiveness and we in turn will receive His mercy as well.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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