St. Clare
Mt 18:21-19:1
Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made.
So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt.
When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’
And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Following Good Examples
Good examples often don’t result in imitation by observers (as the king in today’s Gospel parable discovers). That can be frustrating for parents, teachers or anyone trying to lead others. However, bad examples can give tacit approval for us to indulge our selfish impulses, and can spread like a contagion. I suspect that’s why Jesus has the king coming down so hard on the fellow who didn’t get the point!
I take this reading as a prompt for us to ponder the examples that have been shown to us, and those that we’ve shown to others.
Following the pattern of the story…
What have been some of the profound acts of kindness that have been shown to me?
How have I emulated those, or not, in my actions towards others?
What one action would I like to keep in mind as a possibility to share with others when the opportunity arises?
—Michael Coffey is the Executive Director of Casa Romero Renewal Center, a Jesuit, urban, bilingual spirituality center in the central city of Milwaukee.
Prayer
Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits thou hast given me,
for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother,
may I know thee more clearly,
love thee more dearly,
and follow thee more nearly, day by day.
Amen.
—Saint Richard of Chichester