Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent
Lectionary: 238
Lectionary: 238
Azariah stood up in
the fire and prayed aloud:
“For your name’s sake, O Lord, do not deliver us up forever,
or make void your covenant.
Do not take away your mercy from us,
for the sake of Abraham, your beloved,
Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one,
To whom you promised to multiply their offspring
like the stars of heaven,
or the sand on the shore of the sea.
For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation,
brought low everywhere in the world this day
because of our sins.
We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader,
no burnt offering, sacrifice, oblation, or incense,
no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you.
But with contrite heart and humble spirit
let us be received;
As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bullocks,
or thousands of fat lambs,
So let our sacrifice be in your presence today
as we follow you unreservedly;
for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame.
And now we follow you with our whole heart,
we fear you and we pray to you.
Do not let us be put to shame,
but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.
Deliver us by your wonders,
and bring glory to your name, O Lord.”
“For your name’s sake, O Lord, do not deliver us up forever,
or make void your covenant.
Do not take away your mercy from us,
for the sake of Abraham, your beloved,
Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one,
To whom you promised to multiply their offspring
like the stars of heaven,
or the sand on the shore of the sea.
For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation,
brought low everywhere in the world this day
because of our sins.
We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader,
no burnt offering, sacrifice, oblation, or incense,
no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you.
But with contrite heart and humble spirit
let us be received;
As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bullocks,
or thousands of fat lambs,
So let our sacrifice be in your presence today
as we follow you unreservedly;
for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame.
And now we follow you with our whole heart,
we fear you and we pray to you.
Do not let us be put to shame,
but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.
Deliver us by your wonders,
and bring glory to your name, O Lord.”
Responsorial PsalmPS 25:4-5AB, 6 AND 7BC, 8-9
R. (6a) Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your kindness are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your kindness are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Verse Before The GospelJL 2:12-13
Even now, says the
LORD,
return to me with your whole heart;
for I am gracious and merciful.
return to me with your whole heart;
for I am gracious and merciful.
GospelMT 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.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had him put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”
“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.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had him put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”
Meditation: "How
often shall I forgive?"
Who doesn't have debts they need to pay off! And
who wouldn't be grateful to have someone release them from their debts? But can
we really expect mercy and pardon when we owe someone a great deal? When the
people of Israel sinned and rebelled against God, God left them to their own
devices until they repented and cried out to him for mercy. The Book of Daniel
in the Old Testament recounts the story of Daniel and his three young friends,
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who were sent into exile from Jerusalem to
Babylon. When the King of Babylon threw Daniel's three friends into the fiery
furnace, they cried out to God to have mercy not only on themselves, but to
have mercy upon all his people. "Do not put us to shame, but deal with us
in your forbearance and in your abundant mercy" (Daniel 3:19-43).
The prophet Jeremiah reminds us that God's
"mercies never come to an end - they are new every morning"
(Lamentations 3:22-23). God gives grace to the humble and he shows mercy to
those who turn to him for healing and pardon.
God's mercy towards each one of us shows us the way
that God wants each one of us to be merciful towards one another. When Peter
posed the question of forgiveness and showing mercy to one's neighbor, he
characteristically offered an answer he thought Jesus would be pleased with.
Why not forgive your neighbor seven times! How unthinkable for Jesus to counter
with the proposition that one must forgive seventy times that. Jesus made it
clear that there is no reckonable limit to mercy and pardon. And he drove the
lesson home with a parable about two very different kinds of debts. The first
man owed an enormous sum of money - millions in our currency. In Jesus' time
this amount was greater than the total revenue of a province - more than it
would cost to ransom a king! The man who was forgiven such an incredible debt
could not, however bring himself to forgive his neighbor a very small debt
which was about one- hundred-thousandth of his own debt. The contrast could not
have been greater!
Paul the Apostle tells us that "the wages
of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord" (Romans 6:23). There is no way we could repay God the debt we owed
him because of our sins and offenses. Only his mercy and pardon could free us
from such a debt. There is no offense our neighbor can do to us that can
compare with our debt to God! If God has forgiven each of us our own debt,
which was very great, we, too must forgive others the debt they owe us.
Through Jesus' atoning sacrifice for our sins on
the cross, we have been forgiven a debt beyond all reckoning. It cost God his
very own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to ransom us with the price of his blood.
Jesus paid the price for us and won for us pardon for our sins and freedom from
slavery to our unruly desires and sinful habits. God in his mercy offers us the
grace and help of his Holy Spirit so we can love as he loves, pardon as he
pardons, and treat others with the same mercy and kindness which he has shown
to us. God has made his peace with us. Have you made your peace with God? If
you believe and accept God's love and and pardon for you, then you likewise
must choose to be merciful towards those who are in debt to you. Are you ready
to forgive and to make peace with your neighbor as God has made peace with you?
"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury let me sow pardon.
Where there is doubt let me sow faith. Where there is despair let me give hope.
Where there is darkness let me give light. Where there is sadness let me give
joy." (Prayer
of Saint Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226)
 Forgiveness from the Heart |
|
March 10, 2015. Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent
|
|
Matthew 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. That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ´Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.´ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ´Pay back what you owe.´ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ´Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.´ But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ´You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?´ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart." Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, as I prepare for the coming of Easter during this Lenten season, I turn to you in prayer. You have been merciful to me. Many times you have pardoned the great debt I owe. I trust in your merciful love and wish to transmit your love to many others faithfully. Here I am, Lord, ready to learn from your tender heart. Petition: Lord, enlighten me to your gift of mercy. 1. An Unpayable Debt: Peter asks Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother. Jesus gives a short answer, telling a parable to make sure his answer is understood. In the parable God is the king, and we are all the servants who owe the king a huge amount. We are all in debt to God. He created us and keeps us in existence and gives us every good thing we have, every talent and virtue. We owe God everything. He owes us nothing. Do my daily thoughts and actions reflect this truth? 2. The Forgiving King: The servant, not being able to pay, falls to his knees and begs for more time so that he can pay back the debt. The king offers him more than just time – he pardons the entire debt. God is generous. When we turn to him and ask for forgiveness, he offers us much more than we could hope for – he pardons our entire debt. Then why, we might ask, does the king settle accounts with his servant if he is so generous? Why not pardon the debt from the beginning instead of ordering him along with his wife and children to be sold? He calls the servant to account so that the servant will realize how much he owes and in realizing this, he might imitate God when dealing with his fellow-worker. God does not want us to be punished for our sins. He desires to forgive us the great debt we owe him, but he calls us to account for our sins in the hope that we will recognize how much we have both received from him and owe to him and thus will ask for forgiveness. 3. Unequal Treatment and Abuse of Freedom: After being pardoned, the servant does not treat his debtor in the same merciful manner. He sends him to prison. He had every right to do so. In justice, his fellow servant owed him money; but in doing so he abuses the liberty that he has just been given. He does not stop to reflect that in this moment he himself should rightly be in slavery, sold along with his wife and children in order to pay his debt. He does not reflect that he is able to confront his fellow servant only because the king has had pity on him in the first place, giving him liberty. The offenses we suffer from our fellow men are real offenses, but before we demand justice we must stop and reflect that it is only because God has forgiven us our sins that we have the liberty to demand reparation from our fellow men. That reflection must lead us to have the same mercy with our fellow men that God has had with us. Conversation with Christ: Lord thank you for this time of prayer. I must recognize that you have been merciful with me and forgiven me the great debt I owe. Thank you for the many times you have given me a second chance. During this time of Lent, help me to practice mercy toward those who owe or offend me. Resolution: I will think of someone who has offended me and say a prayer asking God to help me forgive them. |
TUESDAY, MARCH 10, MATTHEW 18:21-35
Lenten Weekday
(Daniel 3:25, 34-43; Psalm 25)
Lenten Weekday
(Daniel 3:25, 34-43; Psalm 25)
KEY VERSE: "So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart" (v 25).
TO KNOW: It is important that the Church exercise discipline, but it is more important that the Church manifests the mercy of God. As a leader of the Christian community, Peter asked Jesus how often he must forgive a fellow disciple. In the Old Testament, Lamech, a descendant of Cain, exacted a "seventy-sevenfold" vengeance, meaning unlimited retaliation for injury (Gn 4:23-24). The rabbis of Jesus' time taught that forgiveness should be offered another person at least three times. Peter increased the number to seven (a biblical number meaning “complete”). However, Jesus told him that Christian forgiveness must be infinite ("seventy-seven times," Matt 18:22). He illustrated this with a parable in which a master forgave his servant a huge debt that he had no way of repaying. But later, when the man met a fellow servant who owed him a much smaller debt, he demanded immediate payment. When the debtor begged for mercy, the servant refused and cast him into prison. Jesus warned his followers that God's compassion toward us would correspond to our own willingness to extend mercy and forgiveness to others (Mt 6:14-15).
TO LOVE: Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to ask for forgiveness of those I have offended.
TO SERVE: Is there someone I need to forgive this Lent?
Tuesday 10 March 2015
Daniel 3:25, 34-43.
Remember your mercies, O Lord— Ps 24(25):4-9. Matthew 18:21-35.
Lord, how Peter must have
puffed out his chest when he offered to forgive others seven times.
You deflated him, and us,
by suggesting that forgiveness should be unending—‘until seventy-seven times’.
Why do we find it difficult to forgive when you have forgiven us so much and so
often? Because we can be so self-centred. We are so relieved to be rid of guilt
that we forget your goodness to us. Like the unforgiving servant in the story,
we try to reassert ourselves in our own eyes by making another feel the discomfort
that was ours.
Lord, we thank you for
pardoning us. Help us express our gratitude to you by praying your forgiveness
for all other sinners, and by cheerfully, readily and continually forgiving
those who hurt us.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
|
Gifts of the Trinity
|
Salvation can be described in the following way: The Father saves
us by sending us the Son; the Son saves us by sacrificing His life on the
cross; the Holy Spirit saves us by sanctifying us with the gift of divine life.
March
10
St. Dominic Savio
(1842-1857)
St. Dominic Savio
(1842-1857)
So many holy persons seem to die young. Among them was Dominic
Savio, the patron of choirboys.
Born into
a peasant family at Riva, Italy, young Dominic joined St. John Bosco as a
student at the Oratory in Turin at the age of 12. He impressed John with his
desire to be a priest and to help him in his work with neglected boys. A
peacemaker and an organizer, young Dominic founded a group he called the
Company of the Immaculate Conception which, besides being devotional, aided
John Bosco with the boys and with manual work. All the members save one,
Dominic, would in 1859 join John in the beginnings of his Salesian
congregation. By that time, Dominic had been called home to heaven.
As a
youth, Dominic spent hours rapt in prayer. His raptures he called "my
distractions." Even in play, he said that at times "It seems heaven
is opening just above me. I am afraid I may say or do something that will make
the other boys laugh." Dominic would say, "I can't do big things. But
I want all I do, even the smallest thing, to be for the greater glory of
God."
Dominic's
health, always frail, led to lung problems and he was sent home to recuperate.
As was the custom of the day, he was bled in the thought that this would help,
but it only worsened his condition. He died on March 9, 1857, after receiving
the Last Sacraments. St. John Bosco himself wrote the account of his life.
Some
thought that Dominic was too young to be considered a saint. St. Pius X
declared that just the opposite was true, and went ahead with his cause.
Dominic was canonized in 1954.
Comment:
Like many a youngster, Dominic was painfully aware that he was different from his peers. He tried to keep his piety from his friends lest he have to endure their laughter. Even after his death, his youth marked him as a misfit among the saints and some argued that he was too young to be canonized. Pius X wisely disagreed. For no one is too young—or too old or too anything else—to achieve the holiness to which we are all called.
Like many a youngster, Dominic was painfully aware that he was different from his peers. He tried to keep his piety from his friends lest he have to endure their laughter. Even after his death, his youth marked him as a misfit among the saints and some argued that he was too young to be canonized. Pius X wisely disagreed. For no one is too young—or too old or too anything else—to achieve the holiness to which we are all called.
Patron Saint of:
Choirboys
Juvenile delinquents
Choirboys
Juvenile delinquents
LECTIO: MATTHEW
18,21-35
Lectio:
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Lent Time
1) Opening prayer
Lord God,
you want us to live our faith
not so much as a set of rules and practices
but as a relationship from person to person
with you and with people.God, keep our hearts turned to you,
that we may live what we believe
and that we may express our love for you
in terms of service to those around us,
as Jesus did, your Son,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit
for ever and ever.
you want us to live our faith
not so much as a set of rules and practices
but as a relationship from person to person
with you and with people.God, keep our hearts turned to you,
that we may live what we believe
and that we may express our love for you
in terms of service to those around us,
as Jesus did, your Son,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit
for ever and ever.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 18, 21-35
Then Peter went up to him and said, 'Lord, how often must I
forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?' Jesus answered,
'Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.
'And so the kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master's feet, with the words, "Be patient with me and I will pay the whole sum." And the servant's master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt.
Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow-servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him, saying, "Pay what you owe me." His fellow-servant fell at his feet and appealed to him, saying, "Be patient with me and I will pay you." But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt. His fellow-servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for the man and said to him, "You wicked servant, I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow-servant just as I had pity on you?" And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.'
'And so the kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master's feet, with the words, "Be patient with me and I will pay the whole sum." And the servant's master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt.
Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow-servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him, saying, "Pay what you owe me." His fellow-servant fell at his feet and appealed to him, saying, "Be patient with me and I will pay you." But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt. His fellow-servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for the man and said to him, "You wicked servant, I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow-servant just as I had pity on you?" And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.'
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel speaks to us about the need for pardon. It is
not easy to forgive, because certain grief and pain continue to burn the heart.
There are persons who say: “I forgive, but I do not forget!” Rancour, tensions,
diverse opinions, insults, offences, provocations, all this renders pardon and
reconciliation difficult. Let us try to meditate on the words of Jesus which
speak about reconciliation (Mt 18, 21-22) and which speak to us about the
parable of pardon without limits (Mt 18, 23-35).
• Matthew 18, 21-22: To forgive seventy times seven! Jesus had spoken of the importance of pardon and of the need of knowing how to accept the brothers and sisters to help them to reconcile themselves with the community (Mt 18, 15-20) Before these words of Jesus, Peter asks: “How often should I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?” Number seven indicates perfection. In this case, it was synonymous of always. Jesus goes far beyond the proposal of Peter. He eliminates any possibility of limitation to pardon: “Not seven I tell you, but seventy seven times!” That is, seventy times always! Because there is no proportion between the pardon which we receive from God and the pardon which we should offer to the brother, as the parable of pardon without limit teaches us.
• The expression seventy seven times was a clear reference to the words of Lamech who said: “·I killed a man for wounding me, a boy for striking me. Sevenfold vengeance for Cain but seventy-sevenfold for Lamech” (Gen 4, 23-24). Jesus wants to invert the spiral of violence which entered the world because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, because of the killing of Abel by Cain and for the vengeance of Lamech. When uncontrolled violence invades life, everything goes wrong and life disintegrates itself. The Deluge arrived and the Tower of Babel appeared for universal dominion (Gen 2, 1 to 11, 32).
• Matthew 18, 23-35: The parable of pardon without limits. The debt of ten thousand talents was approximately around 164 tons of gold. The debt of one hundred denarii was worth about 30 grams of gold. There is no comparison between the two! Even if the debtor together with his wife and children set to work their whole life, they would never be capable to get 164 tons of gold. Before God’s love which forgives gratuitously our debt of 164 tons of gold, is more than just on our part to forgive gratuitously the debt of 30 grams of gold, seventy times always! The only limit to the gratuity of pardon of God is our incapacity to forgive our brother! (Mt 18,34; 6,15).
• The community, an alternative space of solidarity and of fraternity: the society of the Roman Empire was hard and without a heart, without any space for the little ones. They sought refuge for the heart and did not find it. The Synagogue was also demanding and did not offer them any place. And in the Christian communities, the rigor of some in the observance of the Law made life together difficult because they used the same criteria of the Synagogue. Besides this, toward the end of the first century, in the Christian communities began to appear the same divisions which existed in society between rich and poor (Jm 2, 1-9). Instead of making of the community a space of acceptance, they ran the risk of becoming a place of condemnation and conflict. Matthew wants to enlighten the communities, in such a way that these be an alternative space of solidarity and of fraternity. They should be Good News for the poor.
• Matthew 18, 21-22: To forgive seventy times seven! Jesus had spoken of the importance of pardon and of the need of knowing how to accept the brothers and sisters to help them to reconcile themselves with the community (Mt 18, 15-20) Before these words of Jesus, Peter asks: “How often should I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?” Number seven indicates perfection. In this case, it was synonymous of always. Jesus goes far beyond the proposal of Peter. He eliminates any possibility of limitation to pardon: “Not seven I tell you, but seventy seven times!” That is, seventy times always! Because there is no proportion between the pardon which we receive from God and the pardon which we should offer to the brother, as the parable of pardon without limit teaches us.
• The expression seventy seven times was a clear reference to the words of Lamech who said: “·I killed a man for wounding me, a boy for striking me. Sevenfold vengeance for Cain but seventy-sevenfold for Lamech” (Gen 4, 23-24). Jesus wants to invert the spiral of violence which entered the world because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, because of the killing of Abel by Cain and for the vengeance of Lamech. When uncontrolled violence invades life, everything goes wrong and life disintegrates itself. The Deluge arrived and the Tower of Babel appeared for universal dominion (Gen 2, 1 to 11, 32).
• Matthew 18, 23-35: The parable of pardon without limits. The debt of ten thousand talents was approximately around 164 tons of gold. The debt of one hundred denarii was worth about 30 grams of gold. There is no comparison between the two! Even if the debtor together with his wife and children set to work their whole life, they would never be capable to get 164 tons of gold. Before God’s love which forgives gratuitously our debt of 164 tons of gold, is more than just on our part to forgive gratuitously the debt of 30 grams of gold, seventy times always! The only limit to the gratuity of pardon of God is our incapacity to forgive our brother! (Mt 18,34; 6,15).
• The community, an alternative space of solidarity and of fraternity: the society of the Roman Empire was hard and without a heart, without any space for the little ones. They sought refuge for the heart and did not find it. The Synagogue was also demanding and did not offer them any place. And in the Christian communities, the rigor of some in the observance of the Law made life together difficult because they used the same criteria of the Synagogue. Besides this, toward the end of the first century, in the Christian communities began to appear the same divisions which existed in society between rich and poor (Jm 2, 1-9). Instead of making of the community a space of acceptance, they ran the risk of becoming a place of condemnation and conflict. Matthew wants to enlighten the communities, in such a way that these be an alternative space of solidarity and of fraternity. They should be Good News for the poor.
4) Personal questions
• Why is it so difficult to forgive?
• In our community is there a space for reconciliation? How?
• In our community is there a space for reconciliation? How?
5) Concluding Prayer
Direct me in your ways, Yahweh,
and teach me your paths.
Encourage me to walk in your truth
and teach me since you are the God who saves me.
For my hope is in you all day long. (Ps 25,4-5)
and teach me your paths.
Encourage me to walk in your truth
and teach me since you are the God who saves me.
For my hope is in you all day long. (Ps 25,4-5)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét