GOSPEL POWER l AUGUST 11, 2022 - Thursday of 19th  Week in Ordinary Time

Saint Clare, virgin

Gospel: Mt 18:21–19:1 

21Peter came and said to Jesus, “Lord, if another member of the  church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven  times?” 22Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. 23“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared  to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24When he  began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was  brought to him; 25and, 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. 26So the slave fell on his knees before him,  saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27And  out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave  him the debt. 28But 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.’ 29Then his fellow slave  fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will  pay you.’ 30But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison  until he would pay the debt. 31When his fellow slaves saw what had  happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported  to their lord all that had taken place. 32Then his lord summoned him  and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because  you pleaded with me. 33Should you not have had mercy on your  fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ 34And in anger his lord handed  him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35So my  heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive  your brother or sister from your heart.” 1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and  went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.

Forgiveness is a grace that cannot be hoarded, for it will  backfire on anyone who attempts to do so. This is what  the Gospel-parable makes very clear to us. God’s forgiveness  works only for those recipients who willingly give it away to others  who ask for it. Jesus knows that the human heart is prone to keep  grudges and subtly get back at an offender by withholding pardon.  Thus, he has ensured that we would not hoard forgiveness nor limit  the number of times that we grant it to another, by making it one of  the petitions in the prayer that he taught us: “forgive us our trespasses  as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The petition comes with  the condition “as we forgive,” which binds the one who prays. To be  unforgiving is to be denied forgiveness. No one is to blame except the  unforgiving person’s hardness-of-heart. Lord Jesus, keep us mindful of the golden rule, and thus extend to others  the forgiveness that we desire for ourselves. Amen.