Thursday, August 14, 2014
19th Week in
Ordinary Time
1st Reading: Ez 12: 1-12
Gospel:
Matthew 18:21-19:1
Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times must I forgive the offenses of my brother or sister? Seven times?” Jesus answered, “No, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
“This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven. A king decided to settle the accounts of his servants. Among the first was one who owed him ten thousand gold ingots. As the man could not repay the debt, the king commanded that he be sold as a slave with his wife, children and all his goods in payment.
“The official threw himself at the feet of the king and said, ‘Give me time, and I will pay you back everything.’ The king took pity on him and not only set him free but even cancelled his debt.
“This official then left the king’s presence and he met one of his companions who owed him a hundred pieces of silver. He grabbed him by the neck and almost strangled him, shouting, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ His companion threw himself at his feet and asked him, ‘Give me time, and I will pay everything.’ The other did not agree, but sent him to prison until he had paid all his debt.
“His companions saw what happened. They were indignant and so they went and reported everything to their lord. Then the lord summoned his official and said, ‘Wicked servant, I forgave you all that you owed when you begged me to do so. Weren’t you bound to have pity on your companion as I had pity on you?’ The lord was now angry, so he handed his servant over to be punished, until he had paid his whole debt.”
Jesus added, “So will my heavenly Father do with you unless each of you sincerely for give your brother or sister.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
If it is easier to forgive than to forget, the two should come to the same level of ease the older we grow. The contrary, however, is true. The older we grow the harder it is for us to let go.
Forgetting is really part of forgiving. One cannot say he has forgiven if he still nurtures bitter experiences in his memory. That is why genuine forgiveness takes time. It is not a one-time deal that offenders procure after saying the magic words “I’m sorry”.
The offender should also do his part to make it easy for the victim to forget those bitter experiences. Incidentally, forgive and forget contain the words give (forgive) and get (forget). “Give and get” reminds us of the more familiar phrase “give and take” which points to the mutuality of forgiveness. If two people want forgiveness to proper, both must be willing to meet half way. – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email:dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website: www.frdan.org.
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