The Book of Sirach (sometimes called “Ecclesiasticus”), from which our First Reading today is taken, was originally among the Hebrew ethical teachings and dates from approximately 200 to 175 BC. Sirach is among the “Wisdom” books in the Bible and is not included in many Protestant Bibles. It is attributed to the Jewish Scribe Ben Sira of Jerusalem. Today’s reading (Sirach 27:30 – 28:7) serves as prologue to the Gospel reading (Matthew 18:21-35), the theme of which is forgiveness and the merciful result that forgiveness has in the life of the forgiven.
Last Sunday’s Gospel, taken from the same chapter as today’s, was about fraternal correction and about the possible necessity to excommunicate a member from the Christian community. We are talking about someone who persists in behaving in a way that is totally at variance with the values of a community whose life vision is based on the Gospel. Such expulsion may be necessary, if the community is to be a credible witness to the Gospel and to be seen as the visible Body of Christ. But such an excommunication need not be permanent, and in fact, it is hoped that it will not be. At the first sign of repentance, the offender is to be welcomed back and helped to re-integrate into the community.
If last week was about expulsion, today’s Gospel is about forgiveness. Peter, who is beginning to learn his Master’s ways, asks how many times he should forgive. Seven times? That sounds pretty generous but is not generous enough for Jesus: “Not seven times, but I tell you, seventy-seven times.”
To make his point, Jesus tells the parable of a king and his two servants. One owes a huge amount to the king and, by rights, should be thrown into the debtor’s prison until he has paid off his debt – something he likely would be unable to do. After passionate entreaties by the servant, the king forgives the debt. After leaving the king, that same servant goes after a fellow servant who owes him a paltry sum. Because this second servant cannot pay up at once, he is thrown into the debtor’s prison. When the king hears about what the first servant has done, he becomes enraged. He throws the first servant to the torturers until he has paid off the original debt. The message is clear, “So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” God forgives without limit. If we are to be like him, we must do the same.
If hate and resentment get us sent to the torturer, what are we to say about forgiveness? Are we to turn a blind eye to what people do to us or to others? Are we to say, “Never mind! Forget about it!” Are we to turn a blind eye to murder, violence, physical abuse, gross dishonesty and corruption, sexual abuse, and infidelity? Not according to last Sunday’s Gospel. If a person remains unrepentant of the harm he/she has done, then “let such a one be to you as a gentile and a tax collector.”
In the Gospel, forgiveness requires reconciliation and personal healing. It requires unconditional love (agape), love like our God shows us, who makes his sun and rain to fall on good and bad alike. Forgiveness, in the Gospel, as with God, must include not just overlooking the wrong done but also include an attempt to bring back the wrongdoer. The parables of the good shepherd and his lost sheep, the woman and her lost coin, the loving father and his lost son, all tell us how God acts – and how we, too, should act.
It is important to note at this point that our faith is not simply a question of good and bad actions, but relationships. Forgiveness is not about undoing evil actions (what is done is done and cannot be undone”), but is about restoring broken relationships, about healing and reconciliation.
When I was a boy, we had the ‘Sacrament of Confession’ or the ‘Sacrament of Penance’ but not the ‘Sacrament of Reconciliation’. We now recognize that this sacrament is not about, as many seem to believe, wiping out our past acts as if they no longer existed. Rather, it is about restoring our relationship with God, and about restoring our relationship with all those who have been touched (and may still be hurting) from our sins, our failures to love. Just as we expect God to accept us back into his loving arms again and again without limit, so he expects us to be ready to do the same for others.
As the Gospel earlier this week reminded us, those who have hurt us, our “enemies”, most need our prayers. They most need God’s blessings to soften their hearts. When that happens, we need to be ready to receive back our brother or sister just we expect God to receive us back when we say ‘Sorry’ to him.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!