Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Friends,

Every time we pray the Our Father, we say the words “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” It’s easy to speed through these remarkable words, but today’s Gospel provides a deeper meditation on how God approaches forgiveness, and how he expects us to do the same. 

Today we see Peter pose the question, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive?” In response, Jesus tells the parable of a generous master who forgives the debt of a servant who cannot pay him back. But that servant, in turn, deals harshly with the person who owes him a debt. When the master sees this, he chastises the servant and rescinds his forgiveness, choosing to punish the servant until he can pay off his debt. Jesus explains that the kingdom of heaven is not so different from this master’s house, and he invites his disciples to ponder how freely they forgive.

We have all experienced God’s generosity and mercy firsthand. Not only did he freely give us life, make us his sons and daughters, and send his own Son to suffer in our place, but whenever we fall into sin he allows us to approach him again and receive forgiveness. This is the gratuitous love of a Father who wants nothing more than union and relationship with us. And yet, even when I have experienced this wild generosity of the Father, I find it so difficult to turn around and give it to the people in my own life. How many of us have friends or family members who, time and again, impose on us, hurt us, or treat us badly?  Often we feel entitled to impatience, harshness, and unforgiveness toward those people, thinking, “how much can I be expected to bear?” “I deserve so much better than this!” But today Jesus calls us higher than these thoughts of victimhood and unforgiveness. He calls us to take on the example of the Father, and to deal with others with the same radical generosity and love that we ourselves have been shown. This is a tall order, and one that invites us to reflect: are there people in my life who I need to forgive? Are there grudges and resentments that I am holding onto? Luckily, our Father is not only generous, he is patient with us as well. He never abandons us, even as we strive toward perfect forgiveness like his.

Jule Coppa, Penn Campus Minister