“If you have no compassion for your fellow man, how can you ask forgiveness for your sins?”
Father Cesar Augusto, SJ – Vatican News
The theme of this Sunday’s worship continues to be an act of forgiveness, reflecting the need to be happy now.
The book of Ecclesiastes tells us: “Anger and hatred are abominations; Even the sinner seeks to dominate them. “Anyone who takes revenge will be avenged by God, who will demand a severe account of his sins.” When we allow ourselves to be carried away by these feelings, not only do we not correct the injustice done to us, but the harm is made worse.
We know that a truly religious man forgives, and this guarantees his relationship with God, because God is merciful and created us in his image and likeness. We were created in the image of mercy and forgiveness.
“If you have no compassion for your fellow man, how can you ask forgiveness for your sins?”
The most humane, most rational thing to do is to forgive the injustices committed against us so that God can forgive ours. Hatred, revenge only add to hurt, pain and other negative feelings, while forgiveness leads to life, restoration, freedom. Forgiveness opens doors to dialogue, the possibility of alliance, and “returns to the other the right to be happy”.
In today’s Gospel Jesus says to “forgive our brother seventy times seven”, which means to always forgive.
Despite texts such as Ecclesiastes in the Jewish world at the time, it was very difficult for everyone to forgive certain mistakes, especially if committed multiple times by the same person. A few thousand years later we have the same difficulties. Peter, at this time, represents all humanity asking the Lord how many times to forgive.
For the Master, forgiveness must be complete and continuous. It should be an attitude, a lifestyle. This is why he teaches us our Father who says, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Jesus tells a parable: A king asked a servant who owed him some money. He, apparently, would never have the money and begged for forgiveness. The king, being merciful, forgave. However, the pardoned servant, on leaving the king’s presence, found a companion who owed him a small sum of three minimum wages. He grabbed his companion by the neck and demanded money. He did the same. He got down on his knees and asked for time to pay. But he did not act like a king who forgave his debt, instead, he ordered the arrest of his colleague. When the king learned what had happened, he was enraged and ordered the arrest of the servant, calling him a vile and cruel servant.
In the parable the king was merciful, his servant was not.
God is this king who forgives all our great debts. That is why we should behave like him and forgive those we need. “Son of a fish, little fish!” God made us in His image and likeness!
Forgiveness is natural to human beings, however, unforgiveness is unnatural, inhuman! It destroys man and society. It encourages the advancement of violence by establishing a culture of death. It brings hell in our daily life.
On the contrary, if we are human beings and forgive, we work for peace, for a new society, to establish a civilization of love!
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