FORGIVENESS BRINGS HEALING

Two important things echo in the readings of today: anger and forgiveness. How well have we been able to manage our anger and how often do we forgive? To some of us, little things trigger our anger and it affects the rest of our day. It could be personal problems, such as difficulties in relationship or missing a promotion at work. It could be problems caused by others such as family members or friends. Cancellation of meeting plans or a heavy traffic can also provoke our anger. Hence, do we allow our anger to leave us with grudge and bitterness, which eventually result to unforgiveness and vengeance?  

In the first reading, Sirach, also known as, Ecclesiasticus tells us that, “anger and wrath are an abomination and the sinful man possesses them. He that takes vengeance will suffer vengeance from the Lord… does a man harbor anger against another, and yet seek for healing from God? Does he have no mercy towards a man like himself, and yet pray for his own sins? If he himself, being flesh, maintains wrath, will he then seek forgiveness from God?” (Sirach 27:30-28:7). These questions remind us of the famous adage, “To err is human and to forgive is divine.” That is, man by his very nature is sinful, that is why David in Psalm 51:3 says, “My sin is always before me...” On the other hand, it is in God’s nature to forgive. The reading condemns wrath and anger, urging forgiveness and overlooking faults by remembering human mortality, which can lead to humility and empathy, recognizing that human life is fleeting and that holding unto anger is futile.

In view of this, the psalmist of today tells us, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and rich in mercy (Psalm 103:8).” So, we are called to be like God, slow to anger and rich in mercy. As the reading centers on forgiveness, it reminds us that to have effective prayers, we must forgive our neighbors as God has forgiven us in Christ Jesus.

The gospel presents to us a continuity of last Sunday’s reading on Christ’s teaching on reconciliation with those that do wrong to us. In today’s gospel Peter asked, “How often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Perhaps, Peter thought he is generous and merciful enough to forgive up to seven times, but Christ made him to understand that forgiveness does not have limits. We are called to be like God, who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and rich in mercy. Christ also responded to the question of Peter with a parable about the kingdom of heaven compared to a king who wish to settle account with his servants.

In this parable, the king portrays the image of a compassionate and gracious God who forgave the first servant that owed him ten thousand talents and demanded same measure of forgiveness to be shown to others. The ten thousand talents indicates an irredeemable debt, which the servant cannot pay completely, even if he and his family are sold, for the top price of a slave fetched only about one talent. Yet the king showed mercy to him. In return, he could not show mercy to his fellow servant that owed him hundred denarii, which made him receive the title of a wicked servant: “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me; should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” (Mt 18:32-33). Exactly what Sirach addresses in the first reading, “Does a man harbor anger against another and seek for healing…? Often times we act like the wicked servant, constantly praying for God’s mercy, favor and healing, and not ready to show a little of it to our neighbors. It does not work that way. When we do not forgive our neighbors, the bitterness in us destroys our relationship with God and with others; it destroys our prayer life; it instills unnecessary hatred in us that even the sight of our neighbors triggers our anger; it throws us into self-isolation and every action of our neighbors appears as evil to us.

In the words of Bishop Godfrey Onah in one of his homilies, he said: “If we report those who hurts us to Jesus, he will likely tell us to do to them what he himself (Jesus) does for us who hurts him daily… He forgives and redeem us daily.” We too must be like Christ, slow to anger and rich in mercy, we must learn to forgive. We must be like the one who “forgives all our sins, who heals every one of our ills, who redeem our lives from the grave and crowns us with mercy and compassion” (Ps. 103:3-4). This is what St. Paul meant in the second reading when he said, “Whether we live or we die, we belong to the Lord” (Rm. 14:8) and so, we must be like the Lord, who commanded us to love one another as he has loved us (Jn 13:34). Never should a Christian say, “Over my dead body if I forgive him/her.”

Let us reflect on occasions when anger and vengeance have controlled us. How did this affect our relationship with God and others? How can we work to overcome these emotions in the future? What is it that someone has done to you or will do to you that you cannot forgive? Must you always revenge? Or is your name vengeance? What steps are you taking to align your life with the principle of forgiveness and empathy? How do we actively overlook faults and seek reconciliation? Reflecting on the parable of the unforgiving servant, how does our forgiving attitude reflect our relationship with God? Does your willingness to forgive shape your spiritual life? What steps can we take to truly embody forgiveness as a way of life?

We should always have it in mind that forgiveness liberates the offender and heals the forgiver. It is a pill for every ill. When we are offended, we become ill with anger and need the pill of forgiveness to get heal. When we forgive, we become like God. To err is human; to forgive is divine. Let us take it as our responsibility today to reconcile with those that have offended us or we have offended. May God help us through Christ our Lord. Amen!

Happy Sunday!

Fr. Ken Dogbo, OSJ