20230314 HUMAN FORGIVENESS IS FOUNDED ON DIVINE FORGIVENESS
14 March 2023, Tuesday, 3rd Week of Lent
First reading |
Daniel 3:25,34-43 © |
Let our sacrifice to you today be a contrite soul and humbled spirit
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.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 24(25):4-6,7a-9 © |
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.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Lk8:15 |
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!
Or: | Joel2:12-13 |
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!
Gospel |
Matthew 18:21-35 © |
To be forgiven, you must forgive
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.’
HUMAN FORGIVENESS IS FOUNDED ON DIVINE FORGIVENESS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Daniel 3:25-43; Ps 25:4-9; Matthew 18:21-35]
One of the most difficult things in life is to forgive those who have hurt us deeply, through betrayal, insult, slander or when they cheat us or are unjust to us. The memories of these hurtful moments will continue to haunt us. Even if we want to forgive, we cannot because that psychological pain will unsettle us. So we cannot forget nor can we forgive. Perhaps, some of us could try to forgive once or twice. But there is a limit to our forgiveness and tolerance. Even the prophet Amos said that God would forgive only three times and then the fourth time, He would punish us. (cf Amos 1) Even the rabbinic interpretation on forgiveness is that we only need to extend mercy three times. Hence, we can imagine how Peter felt about himself when he posed Jesus the question on forgiveness and even suggested that we should forgive seven times, which is twice over and above the forgiveness of God, plus one. He must have thought it was very magnanimous of him to think that way. But the reply of Jesus was too shocking. He said, “Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.” In other words, all the time! There is no limit in offering forgiveness.
But how can we keep on forgiving those who are apparently incorrigible? How can we allow them to hurt us again and again? Surely we need to put a stop to such acts of injustice! But if we do, that is, not forgiving those who hurt us, then we become prisoners of our anger, resentment and vindictiveness. This is what Jesus warned us at the end of the parable, “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.” By not forgiving, we will only torture ourselves further. We will only get more hurt when we embellish and nurture our pains. Anger will lead us to revenge and even killing.
So how can we find the strength to let go of the hurts in our lives, much less, as Jesus instructed us, to forgive from our hearts? The point of today’s scripture readings is that human forgiveness is dependent on divine forgiveness and founded on God’s mercy for us. On our own strength, we cannot forgive. That explains why divine forgiveness precedes human forgiveness. The servant was expected to forgive his fellow servant for the inconsequential sum of money he owed to him only because he was forgiven a debt that was colossal and beyond the means of anyone to pay back. God expects us to forgive only because He has forgiven us first. This is the basis and the power for forgiveness. He will not ask us to do what He Himself does not do.
Thus, the scripture readings today illustrate to us the infinite mercy and forgiveness of God. Again and again, Israel was not faithful to the Lord but He would extend His forgiveness. God listened to the prayer of the three young men in the furnace when they prayed for divine protection. In the responsorial psalm too, like Azariah, he reminded the Lord of His mercy for Israel. “Remember your mercy, Lord, and the love you have shown from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth because of your goodness, O Lord. The Lord is good and upright. He shows the path to those who stray.” In the gospel, the master forgave the enormous debt of his servant without conditions when he pleaded for mercy. God is mercy. He forgives us whenever we sin. He does not hold any faults against us. But there are two conditions to receive His divine forgiveness. These conditions are not set by God as pre-requisites to receive His forgiveness; rather, they are set by us. In other words, God always forgives without conditions. He does not stop forgiving us. The obstacle is not on the side of God but on the side of the recipient of divine forgiveness. Forgiveness given presupposes that one is capable of receiving. God surely forgives, but are we docile and disposed to receive His forgiveness? What, then, are these obstacles?
Firstly, to receive divine forgiveness, we must have a contrite heart. This is what the first reading is underscoring. The prayer of Azariah was heard simply because he prayed with humility and with a contrite heart. He said, “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.”
What is a contrite heart? It is more than just sorrow for our sins. It is more than just an emotional sentiment of regret. A contrite heart is one who comes to full realization that his sins are hurting others, especially his loved ones and himself. When a person arrives at this understanding, then he will take action and make a resolution not to continue hurting others. Instead, he will now walk the way of truth and love. This is what Azariah promised the Lord. He said, “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.” In contrast, the servant who was released from his debt was not converted in his heart. He remained unmoved by the master’s forgiveness and continued to harbor revenge in his heart against his fellow servant. There was no change in the way he lived his life, especially in his attitude towards his fellowmen. Rather, like the psalmist, if we seek God’s forgiveness, we must all pray from our heart, “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.”
Secondly to receive divine forgiveness, we must forgive those who have hurt us. Why? Otherwise the forgiveness we receive from God is incomplete. It is true that God has forgiven us for our sins. But when we refuse to render the same forgiveness we receive to others, the cycle of the healing process of the person is short-circuited. Whilst he might have received divine forgiveness, he has not received human forgiveness. He remains incomplete and unsettled. His real problem is with his fellowmen who have hurt him. So without forgiving, regardless of how much God has forgiven him, he cannot find peace and true joy. So the command to forgive all the time and to forgive from our heart is for our total liberation and healing.
Thirdly, to receive divine forgiveness, we must contemplate on our sins and the mercy of God. If we cannot forgive, it is because we are self-righteous. We think that we are quite perfect and holy. We do not see ourselves as sinners or that we have done anything wrong. We are presumptuous and ignorant of our sins and the gravity of them. Until we become conscious of not just our sins but how our sins are hurting people because of what we say and do, then we will be moved to contrition and repentance. We are often oblivious or insensitive to the consequences of our words and actions on others. Now if God has forgiven us our sins, grievous as they might be, then we can do likewise. How could we have the audacity to ask God for forgiveness when we have sinned against His divine majesty when we cannot forgive our fellowmen who have sinned against us mere mortals? Let not the Lord say to us, “You wicked servant, 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?”
So during this season of Lent, we must pray for the gift of reconciliation, the grace of forgiveness of those who have hurt us so that we can find peace in our hearts. We must ask for the grace of humility to recognize our own sins and the part we play in that sin even if others have sinned against us. We can best do this by making time to contemplate on the passion and death of Christ on the cross. By reflecting on His passion and His mercy and love for us and His enemies, we will find the strength to do what He did. If Christ could forgive His enemies as a man and even pray for them at the cross, we can do it as well with His love and His Holy Spirit. So we are invited to pray for them, bless them and forgive them.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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