Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catechism Links [1]
 
CCC 218-221: God is love
CCC 294: God manifests his glory by sharing his goodness
CCC 2838-2845: “Forgive us our trespasses”

“Crucifixion”
by Jörg Breu the Elder, 1524

 
Readings for the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Sirach 27:30-28:7
 
Wrath and anger are hateful things,
yet the sinner hugs them tight.
The vengeful will suffer the LORD's vengeance,
for he remembers their sins in detail.
Forgive your neighbor's injustice;
then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.
Could anyone nourish anger against another
and expect healing from the LORD?
Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself,
can he seek pardon for his own sins?
If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath,
who will forgive his sins?
Remember your last days, set enmity aside;
remember death and decay, and cease from sin!
Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor;
remember the Most High's covenant, and overlook faults.
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Commentary on Sir 27:30-28:7
 
The son of Sirach makes a remarkable statement. He points out that to withhold forgiveness is sinful. He tells us that by embracing our anger at another who may have harmed us, by seeking vengeance on that person, we will suffer God’s anger and fall into sin ourselves. He goes on to exhort the faithful to forgive injustice, and in doing so, God will forgive the sins you have committed.
 
The prophet reminds his readers in what almost becomes a commentary on the sixth petition of the Lord’s prayer, that they must look to the final judgment and forgive those who have harmed them. By showing mercy, mercy will be shown to them by the judge of all things. He reminds us to look to the commandments and “hate not your neighbor.”
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
 
R. (8) The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.
 
Bless the Lord, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

Merciful and gracious is the Lord
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

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Commentary on Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
 
Psalm 103 is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving. Remembering God’s promise of mercy for the innocent, the psalmist praises God for his compassion and gives thanks for his salvation. It is not by human merit that God judges, but out of compassion and mercy.
 
CCC: Ps 103 304
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Reading 2: Romans 14:7-9
 
Brothers and sisters:
None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.
For if we live, we live for the Lord,
and if we die, we die for the Lord;
so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
For this is why Christ died and came to life,
that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
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Commentary on Rom 14:7-9
 
Two of St. Paul’s themes are tied together in this short passage from his letter to the Romans. By stating that those who profess faith in Jesus accept his adoption – life is no longer separate from God, but one in the Lord through this adoption (see also Romans 6:3ff). The second theme is the salvation brought about by the resurrection. In the resurrection, Christ defeated death and all of the souls previously dead in sin because of Adam, were now freed through Jesus’ sacrifice. He became the Lord of the living and the dead.
 
These ideas and counsels addressed to the faithful at Rome provide the basis of the motto traditional in the Church, "Unity in essentials, freedom in doubtful matters, and in all things charity" (cf. John XXIII, "Ad Petri Cathedram"; Vatican II, "Unitatis Redintegratio", 4). [5]
 
CCC: Rom 12-15 1454, 1971; Rom 14 1971; Rom 14:7 953; Rom 14:9 668
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Gospel: 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 your brother from your heart.”
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Commentary on Mt 18:21-35
 
This passage begins with the discourse on “forgiveness.” Peter asks the question that paraphrases one asked in the book of Genesis by Lamech (Genesis 4:24). He is looking for guidance in the form of a finite amount of forgiveness, and in answer receives the command that forgiveness must be infinite (represented by the multiples of seven and ten). In his response to Peter, Jesus paraphrases Peter’s words: “’Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him?’” Jesus replies “‘You shall go on forgiving for precisely as long as you continue to address me as your “Lord” and to refer to your offender as “my brother”!’” [6]
 
To emphasize this need for forgiveness, the Lord launches into the parable of the Unmerciful Servant.  The moral of this particular parable is that the measure we use to judge others is the same measure that will be used by God to measure us, when we come before him. “The model is the forgiveness of God, which knows no limit; and neither should man's forgiveness. If man does not forgive, he cannot expect forgiveness; if he does not renounce his own claims, which are small, he cannot ask God to dismiss the claims against him.” [7]
 
CCC: Mt 18:21-22 982, 2227, 2845; Mt 18:23-35 2843
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Reflection:
 
Sacred Scripture from St. Matthew and Sirach provides a compelling theme of forgiveness, one of the features of Christ’s teaching that differentiates Christianity from other belief structures. There is a strong support in the readings for the Church’s dogma on purgatory as well. This is especially evident in the last verse (Matthew 18:35): “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.”
 
The forgiveness the Lord is talking about is more than just saying “I’m sorry.” We use as an example the story of a large family. There were seven brothers and sisters at the time the father of this family passed away (his wife having predeceased him). The oldest of the children was named executor and was responsible for the settlement of the estate (and it was a very modest estate – a small house with its contents and a few thousand dollars in cash). There were accusations made about the disposition of the estate and feelings were hurt. It resulted in the family splitting into factions, four against three, both sides saying terrible things about the other. The resulting rift spawned years of spite that found its way into some of the children of these once loving siblings, who carried on the rhetoric. The petty hatreds festered over the paltry assets of a father who would have corrected them. This lack of forgiveness will undoubtedly cost them a long stay in that land of purification. Even in later life, when some words of reconciliation were said, forgiveness from the heart was not there. Like two prizefighters shaking hands before a bout, the handshake does not mean they are friends.
 
“Unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.” What exactly is “from your heart”? Does that mean the same as loving your brother? Ironically, the lack of forgiveness that will end us up in the hands of the torturers will likely come because of someone we know well, possibly even family. It is the people we love and trust that can earn our hatred most deeply. Over and over, families are torn apart because of actions that will not be forgiven. Violations of trust can only occur when there is trust there to begin with and trust is expected.
 
Face it, when someone you don’t know wrongs you, say they steal something from you, it is much easier to forgive them than if that person was a person you loved and trusted. In that instance you feel not only the loss of that which was stolen, but the loss of trust that went with your feelings toward that person. In those circumstances it takes a special effort to forgive “from the heart.”
 
It is, therefore, critical for us that, unless we don’t care where we end up and for how long, we look at these situations and make our best effort at forgiveness. In situations where family and friends are involved, not only will the act of forgiveness save you from anguish in the next life, but it will bring you peace in this one. It is this peace of Christ we all yearn for and it is our great hope to be with him in the age to come.
 
Pax
 
In other years on this date: Optional Memorial of St. Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor

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[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The Picture is “Crucifixion”, by Jörg Breu the Elder, 1524.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] The Navarre Bible: “Letters of St. Paul”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 128.
[6] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume II, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 2003 p. 643.
[7] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 43;127.