20240305 RECEIVING GOD’S FULL FORGIVENESS IS A CONSEQUENCE OF FORGIVING
05 March 2024, 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.’
RECEIVING GOD’S FULL FORGIVENESS IS A CONSEQUENCE OF FORGIVING
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Daniel 3:25-43; Ps 25:4-9; Matthew 18:21-35]
The scripture readings speak of the magnanimity of God’s forgiveness. Both scripture readings speak of God’s forgiveness for the sins of humanity. Azariah in the Book of Daniel, recounts the fidelity of God to His covenant with Israel. “Oh! Do not abandon us forever, 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.”
In the gospel, Jesus tells us the parable of the King who forgave the debt of his servant. We know that the debt of the servant was a hyperbole so magnified to illustrate that God has no limits in forgiving our sins. The servant owed him ten thousand talents which no private individual can ever pay, no matter how rich he was because that amount was almost twice the revenue of the entire nation. Perhaps, it also shows that forgiveness is the only way out for the master because not to forgive him would mean to lose a servant, since putting him in prison would not serve any purpose. He could spend his whole life in prison and still be unable to pay back his debts in any way. It would have been better for the King to release him and earn back his gratitude by serving him more devotedly and wholeheartedly. Hence, logically, it would be the most appropriate way to handle an errant servant.
But it also shows the King’s magnanimity in not just overlooking his servant’s fault, but his generosity is manifested in his unselfish love for his servants. How could he allow the servant to accumulate such a huge debt? He could have stopped it earlier because it would have been obvious to him that something was amiss in the way the servant managed his estate. But he did not. He waited until the time came for accountability. This is another expression of God’s love for us, a love that is free, unconditional and truly liberating. God does not love us in such a way that forces us to love Him. He allows us to choose whether to love Him or not. He loves us freely, unlike for many of us, we love others but we want to control their lives. We make demands on them and how they should love us in return. Our love is conditional and sometimes manipulative because we make those whom we love obliged to return our favours, or do what we ask of them. God’s love is real because it is a liberating love. God loves us even when we reject Him.
However, God’s forgiveness can only be received by those who are repentant. We cannot forgive those who do not need forgiveness. We can only forgive those who seek forgiveness, otherwise, forgiveness is but an empty word. The truth is that many people who have hurt us do not feel the need to be forgiven because they think that they are in the right and that we are in the wrong. They justify every action they do, even when their actions harm us. This is the reason why many cannot receive forgiveness and be healed. If they do not see that they have done anything wrong, how could they receive forgiveness? This is the sad reality in the world today because many no longer believe in sin, or that anything is wrong. In a world of moral relativism, it is just a matter of preference or perspective. So there is no question of forgiveness or having a contrite heart. This is the arrogance of humanity today. The psalmist says, “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.”
What is required, therefore, for anyone to receive the forgiveness of God, or even of his fellowmen, is to have a contrite heart, to recognize that he or she was in the wrong. In the first reading, we have the exemplary Azariah who confessed his sins and that of the nation. He appealed first to God’s mercy in their brokenness. “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.” Secondly, he expressed contrition of heart and confidence in God’s mercy and compassion. “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.” Thirdly, this contrite heart is expressed in the offering of external sacrifices, in other words, expressed not just in words but in action. “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.” Finally, true sincerity in contrition is the resolution not to sin again. “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.”
Isn’t this the same process that we go through when we go for the Sacrament of Reconciliation? We begin by confessing our sins and the mercy of God. We ask for forgiveness and mercy by saying the Act of Contrition. The priest then exhorts the penitent and assures him of God’s forgiveness and encourages the penitent to turn away from sin; and then imposes penance for him or her to do as a sign of true repentance. The minister of reconciliation then prays the Prayer of absolution, recounting the process of forgiveness in salvation history. “God the Father, through the death and resurrection of His Son, has reconciled the world to Himself, sent the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. Through the ministry of the Church, I absolve you from all your sins, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
Yet, how is it that those who have received forgiveness of sins in the Sacrament of reconciliation do not always feel liberated of their past or healed of their wounds? Even though they know that they have been forgiven by God, they do not feel free. In fact, some do not believe truly in their heart that their sins have been forgiven. Some continue to doubt whether God could have truly forgiven them for all the wrongs that they have done. As a consequence, many, although forgiven in principle, do not experience an existential forgiveness in their hearts. As they are not yet fully liberated although forgiven, they will quickly fall back into sin again because their hearts are not free.
How, then, can their hearts be set free? This is where many do not realize that for them to be truly set free from their pains, they need to forgive those who have hurt them. If they do not forgive those who have hurt them, even when God has forgiven them, the forgiveness of God does not take effect in their heart unless they pass on the forgiveness to those who have hurt them. This was why the servant whose debt was forgiven could not even forgive the insignificant debt that his fellow servant owed him. The debt he owed to the master was totally incomparable to the debt that his fellow servant owed him. Thus, the master sent for him. “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?” “And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt.” By not forgiving others, we will continue to carry the pain of unforgiveness and the lack of peace and freedom in our hearts. The truth is that by not forgiving others, we make ourselves the prisoners of our enemies. We are the ones who cause ourselves to suffer.
Thus, the moral of today’s scripture reading is clear. As the Lord said, “And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.” To obtain real forgiveness in our lives, it is not enough to ask God for forgiveness or even be assured of God’s forgiveness. We must pass on the forgiveness we have received from God, whom we have offended infinitely and forgiven unconditionally to those who have hurt us. When we forgive them, we release them from our hearts. Our resentment is liberated and we are at peace. Indeed, this is the key to real freedom and true forgiveness. By not forgiving others, we will never find true peace and joy. This is the way God wants to forgive us. With the psalmist, we must pray, “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.”
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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