First Reading: Sirach 27:30—28:7

Wrath and anger are hateful things,

yet the sinner hugs them tight.

The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance,

for he remembers their sins in detail.

Forgive your neighbor’s injustice;

then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.

Could anyone nourish anger against another

and expect healing from the LORD?

Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself,

can he seek pardon for his own sins?

If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath,

who will forgive his sins?

Remember your last days, set enmity aside;

remember death and decay, and cease from sin!

Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor;

remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12

R. (8) The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

Bless the LORD, O my soul;

and all my being, bless his holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits.

R. The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

He pardons all your iniquities,

heals all your ills.

He redeems your life from destruction,

crowns you with kindness and compassion.

R. The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

He will not always chide,

nor does he keep his wrath forever.

Not according to our sins does he deal with us,

nor does he requite us according to our crimes.

R. The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

For as the heavens are high above the earth,

so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.

As far as the east is from the west,

so far has he put our transgressions from us.

R. The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

Second Reading: Romans 14:7-9

Brothers and sisters:

None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.

For if we live, we live for the Lord,

and if we die, we die for the Lord;

so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.

For this is why Christ died and came to life,

that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Alleluia: John 13:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I give you a new commandment, says the Lord;

love one another as I have loved you.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,

“Lord, if my brother sins against me,

how often must I forgive?

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.

When he began the accounting,

a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.

Since he had no way of paying it back,

his master ordered him to be sold,

along with his wife, his children, and all his property,

in payment of the debt.

At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,

‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’

Moved with compassion the master of that servant

let him go and forgave him the loan.

When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants

who owed him a much smaller amount.

He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,

‘Pay back what you owe.’

Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,

‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

But he refused.

Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison

until he paid back the debt.

Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,

they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master

and reported the whole affair.

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.

So will my heavenly Father do to you,

unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

Reflection: Forgiveness

Last Sunday, the major theme was looking out for one’s brethren, which obviously included patience and forgiveness for infractions to preserve brotherhood. Today, that theme is continued, which shouldn’t be any surprise for us Christians because we truly are our brother’s keeper. God continues to bless the world with thousands of newly born babies each day because God has not given up on us and has been clear about His plan to become Father to sons and daughters for the Kingdom. Since this is our Father’s plan, it would be best if we all just get with the program of loving one another as commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ.    

Remember that aside from giving us His life, the very reason Jesus died on the Cross was to forgive the sins of the world, and He did it because of His undying and unconditional love for mankind. Today’s Gospel is a story of a master who, after much begging for mercy from his servant, forgave the latter’s debt to him. Subsequently, the master found out that this servant didn’t pay-it-forward because he did not forgive the debt of another servant who owed him. The forgiven servant even became violent to his fellow servant-debtor. This infuriated the master and called the servant whom he previously forgave to account for everything that he owed the master. Our Christian faith declares this in the Lord’s Prayer to: “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sinned against us” – because we truly have been unconditionally forgiven by our Father and will always be forgiven if we are truly sorry for our sins.  

Let this be our guiding principle in life because our world today can “use” all the forgiveness it can muster for the enormous hurt that needs healing now—as in, immediately. Let the world realize that it is only by the peace and forgiveness of Christ that our brokenness can be healed, and not by some pill, advice from motivation gurus who sell themselves and their products or “couch sessions” from professionals. Let all the Christian faithful of the world proclaim that Jesus gave us His peace, not the peace that the world brings or gives. It is that peace that nobody else can give but Christ and it is the peace that calms, forgives, heals and assures—an assurance that everything is under the Lord’s power.    

To realize during our lifetime that we have been forgiven and that we will always be forgiven if we remorsefully seek God’s forgiveness, should be the most humbling thing and should move us to be merciful and generous to others because our God is a merciful Father who is generous, slow to anger and rich in compassion.

Gospel: The Parable of the Forgiving Master

Saint Peter threw this question at Jesus: “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive?” To which our Lord replied: “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. In other words, we should not impose limits to our forgiveness and generosity because we too have been forgiven by God and Father for our countless transgressions against Him and to others. Our Lord’s answer simply echoes what has already been laid down in the First Reading: “Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven” (Sir 28:2).

Why the number “7”? Remember that the number “7” has so much significance in the Jewish and Christian faiths, primary of which is the Creation story in Genesis when God creates the universe in 6 days and on the 7th day, God rests. The seventh (7th) day was meant for man to come back to God in worship and communion, and is therefore considered the day-of-rest, and “7” is deemed number of perfection. Our Lord’s expression of forgiveness amounting to seventy-seven times mention the number seven twice and is meant to evoke perfect forgiveness in imitation of our Lord and Father who forgives mankind without limit and without any conditionality. Therefore, to forgive “seventy-seven times” means to forgive without limit and without any condition attached. 

Also, to swear an oath when entering into covenants, which invokes the mighty name of God and sacrifice of kosher animals, is called “sheva” or to seven yourself. The lives of the sacrificed animals were intended as replacements for the lives of the parties who are expected to give their very lives for the perpetuation of the covenant, and if one or both of them fail, may they suffer the same death as the sacrificed animals.   

In Christianity, the 7th day from Monday, which is Sunday, is indeed the Lord’s Day. When Jesus rose from death, Christians have started to believe that the day of the Resurrection, the day after the Jewish Sabbath, became the new Sabbath because at the resurrection, the whole world was created anew. Remember that all these are necessary to realize God’s salvation plan for mankind. Man has been forgiven out of the generosity, mercy, and the undying and unlimited love God has for man, and the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday gave mankind a new beginning, a fresh start. 

Forgiveness is at the core of Christian life. Allow us to restate that: Forgiveness must be a way of life for those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. Our Lord’s words ought to be clear to those who do not sow forgiveness – they will be handed to torturers until there is pay back for the whole debt: “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”  

Yes, there is truth to the saying that “to forgive is divine” because we need the Holy Spirit to forgive those who wronged us. Without God, we simply won’t have the guidance and the courage to forgive others. But there is also a practical use in forgiving people – it becomes easy on our hearts because we unburden ourselves of the hate and anger for those who wronged us. Forgiveness also begets forgiveness and cancels debts, and because of this phenomenon, it creates an environment of peace, calm and tranquility. Because God’s forgiveness is limitless for people who truly repent, we ought to forgive our brethren without limit and let God do the judging whether there is true repentance on the part of the forgiven. There’s a saying: “Vengeance is not ours, it’s God”, and only God can forgive sins. For those who have no repentance in their hearts because they don’t believe in God’s forgiveness, the path to damnation becomes more pronounced and direct.     

Characters in Play: The Master & The Forgiven Servant 

Let’s start with the principle that Jesus likened the Kingdom of Heaven to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. 

This serves as a warning, a motivation and a proof of the Second Coming or when Jesus comes again to judge the living and the dead, when time gives way to eternity. It is a warning because Jesus, the King, will account us for our actions and inactions—if we fed the hungry, clothed the naked among others—or have we been merciful to others because we too have been shown mercy at the Resurrection of the Lord and during our lifetime. In other words, have we been obedient to the Word of the Lord? It is also a motivation because we who believe in Jesus are assured that our faithfulness to Him, and by abiding with Him until the end, shall be rewarded with everlasting life in heaven. Lastly, it is proof of the existence of heaven and everlasting life with God, and proof that whatever we do and say matters—that, because of our sinful and broken state, we can’t arrogate upon ourselves, with certainty and sureness of reaching heaven if we merely believe in the Jesus and proclaim in our hearts that He is Lord without actually living out our faith because sola fide or the belief that ‘once saved, always saved’, is un-Biblical and has no basis in the Christian faith. Our faith can only be made alive if we share it with others through our actions.      

Notice that the master is a very exacting person. He wants payment for the money owed by his debtors, and particularly, one servant mentioned in the story. The master, knowing that the servant had no means to pay the debt, wanted him and his family sold into slavery (they were acceptable practices during those times). The narrative says that the debt was substantial and it had to be satisfied or else, innocent people like family members may be made to satisfy the debt by servitude. 

However, the master condones the debt only after much begging from the servant. Clearly, the master wrote off the debt out of pity or generosity. He knew that the servant had no means to pay-off the debt and he wouldn’t have any use for additional slaves or money to be generated from the sale of slaves.

On the other hand, the servant who was forgiven his debt by his master turns around and demands payment from another servant who was indebted to him. At face value, there is nothing wrong in collecting a debt. But this is about forgiveness and paying it forward, not about collecting money. It is about passing on mercy and kindness to others because we all have been shown mercy and kindness by God.

Mankind has been forgiven his sins: past, present and future. It is God who forgave us first for the purpose of healing us and making us whole again for our heavenly destination. Our sins break us up, including our humanity and conscience, and the only thing that can make us whole again is the forgiveness of the Father, the peace of Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. But for this to work, mankind must learn how to forgive each other’s sins. Conversely, each and every one of us must always be careful not to wrong our brethren because we are a holy nation, a righteous race, just how our Father intended it to be.

In sum, for healing to spread, forgiveness must be passed on like a basketball; everybody has to touch the ball because we are a team. And like any other team, everybody has to get into the forgiveness game by sowing and pushing reconciliation between or among adversaries because according to our Lord’s command: “love one another”, He loved us first and we too ought to love others like Christ.     

Points of Emphasis: 

Accounting: Jesus likened the Kingdom of Heaven to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. Simply put, the Kingdom of Heaven has a King (it won’t be a kingdom if there weren’t a king and subjects of his domain), and the king will account his subjects for the actions or inactions they made during their lifetime. Jesus is the King and we are His subjects. As subjects, we shall be accounted not only for the things we did or did not do, but also for gifts bestowed upon us—on whether or not we used them wisely or squandered them uselessly.

Forgiveness: Notice what the master did to the servant he had forgiven when he found out that the latter didn’t forgive his debtor—the master, in anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.

Man can only forgive like Christ if he has Jesus in his heart and only if the basis is the love of Christ. God, who loves us first, forgave us through the salvation of Jesus even if we don’t deserve it: “God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). To forgive even if the wrongdoer does not deserve to be forgiven has to be the standard of forgiveness; it is how it must be. Man must love and forgive even is it hurts. This is how the world is healed—to love and forgive like Christ. 

The Woman Caught in Adultery (John 8)

Lastly, we invite you to recall the woman caught in adultery in St. John, Chapter 8. There was a woman, who probably was either a prostitute or simply a concubine of several married men, who was caught in adultery. The punishment for such act was death by stoning. Though there is no mention about the disparity and unfair treatment of the case since there is no mention of the “equally erring” man who the woman was caught with, the story is ripe for the topic of forgiveness and highlights the mercy and genius of our Lord Jesus. Please remember that the crime of adultery can only be committed by the sexual intercourse consummated by two persons, and one or both parties have existing impediments for legal union like marriage.

Side Note: Our Lord Jesus was very clear about His position regarding adultery. He said: “…everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt 5: 28). Our Lord Jesus is clear that merely looking at a woman lustfully is already guilty of adultery in his heart. This must be a warning to the male population all over the world. Good and evil are always in a constant battle for our hearts and minds. Therefore, we should be constantly mindful of our intentions and motives because these drive man into action or inaction, and these in turn are adjudged to be good or evil.  

The story tells us that people brought the woman before Jesus to asking if the stoning should proceed according to the Laws of Moses. Some people also did this to trap Jesus. If our Lord did not conform to the Laws of Moses, He would have been declared a traitor to the Jews and a false prophet. If, however, He did agree to the stoning, he’d be reported to the Roman authorities for ordering or agreeing to the execution of the woman, an act which should be only carried out by Roman authorities.

Jesus does not speak and bends down to write on the sand or on the ground. Scriptures do not mention what He wrote on the ground. Pressed for an answer by the crowd, our Lord stood up and said: “He who has not sinned, cast the first stone.”

And the story goes on saying that one by one the people left, starting with the elders. When the crowd left Jesus and the woman alone, our Lord asks the woman: “Where are your accusers?” “Has no one condemned you?” The woman said in reply: “No one Lord.” Our Lord said to her: “Neither do I. Go but sin no more.”

In today’s world of social media, when bashing seems to be fashionable because it allows people to simply vent their frustrations on others or simply play the role of the know-it-all, we can learn a lot from this story by looking at ourselves first and not be too quick to draw the gun because of the damage it brings. Jesus has forgiven us first. Let us then forgive those who wronged us because this is the only way that the hurt of world can be resolved. 

We have been forgiven. Therefore, we must also forgive and sin no more.

A blessed Sunday to everyone.

– Gospel reflection by Kuya Rommel Cecilio of SLRP Bible Apostolate Ministry