20260913 FORGIVENESS IS PREREQUISITE TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD
13 September 2026, Sunday, 24th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Ecclesiasticus 27:33-28:9 |
Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you; and when you pray, your sins will be forgiven
Resentment and anger, these are foul things,
and both are found with the sinner.
He who exacts vengeance will experience the vengeance of the Lord,
who keeps strict account of sin.
Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you,
and when you pray, your sins will be forgiven.
If a man nurses anger against another,
can he then demand compassion from the Lord?
Showing no pity for a man like himself,
can he then plead for his own sins?
Mere creature of flesh, he cherishes resentment;
who will forgive him his sins?
Remember the last things, and stop hating,
remember dissolution and death, and live by the commandments.
Remember the commandments, and do not bear your neighbour ill-will;
remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook the offence.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 102(103):1-4,9-12 |
The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
all my being, bless his holy name.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
and never forget all his blessings.
The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.
It is he who forgives all your guilt,
who heals every one of your ills,
who redeems your life from the grave,
who crowns you with love and compassion.
The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.
His wrath will come to an end;
he will not be angry for ever.
He does not treat us according to our sins
nor repay us according to our faults.
The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.
For as the heavens are high above the earth
so strong is his love for those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west
so far does he remove our sins.
The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.
Second reading | Romans 14:7-9 |
Alive or dead, we belong to the Lord
The life and death of each of us has its influence on others; if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord, so that alive or dead we belong to the Lord. This explains why Christ both died and came to life: it was so that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Gospel Acclamation | 1S3:9,Jn6:68 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening:
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
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.’
FORGIVENESS IS PREREQUISITE TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [SIRACH 27:30 – 28:7; PSALM 103:1-4,9-12; ROMANS 14:7-9; MATTHEW 18:21-35]
One of the reasons for the lack of happiness and peace in our lives is our inability to forgive. Unforgiveness leads to an insidious growth of resentment and anger, creeping in when we feel misjudged, discriminated against, treated unjustly, penalised, or simply dealt an unfair hand in life. Often, this stems from misunderstandings and betrayals in relationships or in business. Our ego is wounded, and our heart is injured. In our pain, we easily exonerate ourselves and place the blame squarely on others, viewing those who hurt us as the source of our unhappiness.
What is even more frustrating is our inability to forgive. To forgive can seem foolish, making us feel weak and small, while revenge feels sweet and tempting. Yet, deep down, we know that nursing a grudge only leaves us unhappy and miserable. The mere sight or thought of someone who hurt us unsettles us, causing us to squirm and lose our composure. Peace vanishes from our minds and hearts. Instead, the past continues to haunt us–not only throughout the day, but even in our sleep. The replay of that painful event runs endlessly in our minds, like being stabbed and wounded anew every time we recall it. It is a living hell. As the Book of Sirach reminds us: “Resentment and anger… are foul things” (cf. Sir 27:30). When something is foul, it means it is insidious, slowly eating away at us from within.
Some of us recognise the folly of harbouring anger and try to forgive, but find ourselves incapable of doing so. Like Peter, we might manage to forgive a few times–perhaps even seven times–but forgiving indefinitely feels impossible. Human forgiveness has its limits. As the saying goes, people may forgive us for making a mistake, but most cannot forgive us for making the same mistake twice.
The human way to overcome anger and resentment begins with common sense and logical thinking. While intellect alone is not always enough, it helps dispose our minds and hearts toward forgiveness. At the very least, we must be convinced that forgiving is far better than harbouring grudges–for holding onto resentment ultimately works against our own well-being. Once we understand the wisdom of forgiveness, we can begin to try using our human effort to cultivate it in our daily lives. How, then, do we do this?
First, we must recognise that resentment and revenge offer nothing more than a perverted form of happiness. Retaliating against those who hurt us ultimately hurts us more than it affects them. More often than not, they may not even be aware of the pain they caused or that we are offended. By making them our focus, we make ourselves prisoners of our enemies, allowing painful memories to control our lives and happiness.
When Sirach says, “Mere creature of flesh, he cherishes resentment; who will forgive him his sins?” (cf. Sir 28:5), he is highlighting that when we do not forgive, we are doing harm to ourselves. This is why the Book of Sirach declares that resentment and anger are “both found with the sinner” (cf. Sir 27:30). A sinner is inherently unhappy, living in a self-made hell. After all, the greatest torment of hell is not dealing with external adversaries, but the agony within our own conscience, mind, and heart.
When we hold onto grudges, we block the grace of God – His love and healing – from our lives. When our hearts are closed, God cannot enter. He does not force Himself on us; instead, He leads and lures us through love. By refusing to forgive, we reject Jesus’ invitation to dwell in His Kingdom of love and unity. Conversely, when we let go of our pain, we open our hearts to receiving His healing. An inability to forgive reveals a heart with a limited capacity to love and exposes the shallowness of our generosity.
Second, our inability to forgive has to do with our egotism. We think too highly of ourselves, as if we are completely just and blameless in every way. We forget that we too have hurt others through our own callous words and actions, whether intentionally or inadvertently. We stand in need of forgiveness just as much as anyone else.
We are no better than the servant in the parable who was forgiven a debt of ten thousand talents by his master, yet refused to forgive a fellow servant who owed him merely a hundred denarii (cf. Mt 18:23-35). Like him, we are intolerant of the faults of others while pleading for mercy when we fail. When we lose touch with our own sinfulness, we act as though we are perfect, assuming the right to punish others without mercy–just as that servant seized his fellow servant “by the throat and began to throttle him”. Thus, the question Jesus and Sirach poses to us is this: “Showing no pity for a man like himself, can he then plead for his own sins?” (cf. Sir 28:4).
The truth is that we share a common solidarity in our sinfulness. As St Paul observes, “The life and death of each one of us has its influence on others.” We are deeply interconnected. While anger and hatred remain within us, our sins against God and one another sow seeds of mistrust, fear, insecurity, and hatred. We are a community of sinners striving to become a community of saints, but for now, we remain pilgrims along the way.
Sirach exhorts us: “Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you, and when you pray, your sins will be forgiven.” When we forgive, our own sins are also forgiven because we learn to accept our own weaknesses and embrace humility. If we can forgive, it is only because we have recognised our own sinfulness and imperfections before God.
Third, we must honestly ask ourselves where our anger and resentment truly come from. Isn’t it true that, in the final analysis, they arise from within us? How can anger flare up if it does not already reside in our hearts?
The fact that the exact same action can cause one person to react with anger and another to respond with compassion shows that the source lies within us, not outside us. True, the external stimulus comes from others, but the deeper issue is not simply that others hurt us–it is that their actions reveal who we truly are. Their behaviour brings to light our own deeply seated emotions and repressions: our latent anger, jealousy, resentment, insecurity, pride, and hatred.
Ultimately, even if others trigger our anger, the response remains our choice. Holding onto anger and resentment is, in the end, a decision we make.
Fourth, we must remember that our ultimate calling is to be a community of love. Like the Israelites, God has chosen us to be a people–His people. We are called to live a covenanted life of forgiveness, love, and unity. Sirach urges us to “remember the covenant of the Most High and overlook the offense” (cf. Sir 28:7). For the sake of the unity of God’s people, our families, and our workplaces, we must put aside our hurts.
Without love, life lacks meaning; without unity, there can be no peace or understanding. Without both love and unity, our lives remain incomplete. We cannot pretend that everything is fine when our relationships with those around us are broken. How can we pretend that an estranged relationship with a spouse or child does not affect us, when we know deep down that it does? When something gnaws at us from within, we become deeply unsettled. In those moments when we experience profound sadness and emptiness, we know our hearts are truly crying out for healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
Fifth, we must look to the ultimate end of our lives. For those of us who believe in the continuity of life after death, we must realise that there is a direct connection between this life and the next. As St. Paul reminds us, “alive or dead we belong to the Lord.” (cf. Rom 14:8). The Book of Sirach warns us of this continuity between life and death when he exhorts us: “Remember the last things, and stop hating; remember dissolution and death, and live by the commandments.” (cf. Sir 28:6).
At the threshold of death, what purpose does it serve to cling to hatred and anger? Why die a bitter death? The sobering reality is that if we persist in a life of hatred and bitterness, we risk carrying those negative dispositions into the next life. After death, a sinful disposition becomes fixed and requires purification in the life to come. If, on the other hand, we depart this world in a spirit of detachment, peace, and tranquillity, we can be confident that our next life would also be one of total peace and joy.
Today, we are invited to enter into this Kingdom of love and unity. To live in this Kingdom, we must adopt the heart of God–a heart of mercy, forgiveness, and compassion. We are called to imitate the king in the parable, who forgave his servant an astronomical debt. Above all, we must allow ourselves to experience the boundless mercy and compassion of the Father.
When we reflect on how much God has loved and forgiven us–despite our unworthiness and infidelities to Him and His truth–we see that He continues to forgive us without end. This is what the parable illustrates: the infinite mercy of God for us. As the psalmist proclaims: “It is he who forgives all your guilt, who heals every one of your ills, who redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with love and compassion” (cf. Ps 103:3-4).
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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