Word to the Wise
Tuesday, March 26, 2019 - 3rd Week of Lent - Tues
[Dan 3:25, 34-43 and Matt 18:21-35]Peter approached Jesus and asked him, "Lord if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times." [Matthew]
The parable which follows this interchange between Jesus and Peter is known as the parable of the Unforgiving Servant. There Jesus tells the story of a servant who owes a lot of money, begs for time to repay, and the master simply forgives the debt. That servant then refuses to even give extra time to pay a very small debt owed to him by a fellow servant. His fellow servants tattle on him to the master who then recalls the first servant and reinstates the debt! God's forgiveness has to be shared with others, not regarded as a merely personal thing. Receiving absolution for our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation is only the beginning!
It is important to understand that forgiveness is not to be confused with "enablement" that happens when we continually forgive an abusive party who keeps repeating the abusive behavior, whether it be an addiction or other cause. Abuse must be challenged at the same time that forgiveness is extended. There is such a thing as "tough love!" Nor is forgiveness the same as reconciliation. Reconciliation requires more than one person. It may not be possible because the other person is unwilling or even deceased. But nothing can stop us from forgiving if we wish to forgive. It is the unwillingness to forgive that would put us in the same boat as the wicked servant in the parable. How good are we at forgiving? Is there someone we have great difficulty in forgiving? Lent may be a good time to address that obstacle to holiness once and for all. AMEN