SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN TIMES FORGIVENESS - 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Homily for the 24^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Based on Mt 18:21-35 (Gospel), Sir 27:30-28:7 (First Reading) and Rm 14:7-9 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN TIMES FORGIVENESS

“Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times” (Mt 18:22)

The Gospel for this  24^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A) is taken from Mt 18:21-35. The first title is “Forgiveness of injuries,” with the following parallel texts:

1.       Mt 6:12 - And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.

2.       Si 10:6 - Do not resent^c your neighbor’s every offence, and never act in a fit of passion. Footnote ^c says “Hebr. ‘Do not punish’.”

3.       Lk 17:4 - Brotherly correction^a. And if he wrongs you seventy times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, “I am sorry”, you must forgive him.’ Footnote ^a says “Lk apparently, is thinking of a matter that concerns only two of the community; in Mt the offence is more public. Lk does not mention appealing to the community.”

4.       Col 3:12 - You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience

Verses 21 and 22 say: 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.^k Footnote  ^k says  “Others render ‘seventy-times-seven times’, cf. 6:9+.”

Parallel text of verse 22 is Gn 4:24 that says: Sevenfold vengeance is taken for Cain, but seventy-sevenfold^j  for Lamech. Footnote   ^j says “This ferocious song, composed in honour of a desert paladin named Lamech, is recorded here as evidence of the increasing ferocity of Cain’s descendants.”

Second title is: “Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor.”

Parallel text is Si 28:4 that says: Showing not pity for a man like himself, can he then plead for his own sins?

Verse 23-32 say: ‘And so the kingdom may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, the brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents;^l but 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. ‘Give me time’ he said ‘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;^m and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him. ‘Pay what you owe me’ he said.   His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him, saying, ‘Give me time 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 him . “you wicked servant”, he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Footnote  ^l says “About £3,000,000, $9,000,000: the amount is deliberately fantastic”.; and Footnote ^m says “Less than £5, $15.”

Parallel text of verse 23 is Mt 25:19 that says: Now a long time after, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them.

Verses 33 and 34 say: 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.

Parallel text of verse 33 is 1 Jn  4:11 that says: My dear people, since God has loved us so much, we too should love one another.

Verse 35 says: And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mt 6:12 - And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.

2.       Jm 2:13…because there will be judgment without mercy for those who have not been merciful themselves;^e but the merciful need no fear of judgment. Footnote   ^e says “‘Judgment’ (i.e ‘condemnation’) is merciless to anyone who does not show mercy. ‘the merciful… judgement’; lit. ‘mercy triumphs over judgement’. Cf. Mt 18:35.”

The First Reading is taken from  Sir 27:30-28:7.

Verses 30 and Ch. 28:1-3 say: Resentment and anger, these are foul things too, and both are found with the sinner. He who exacts vengeance will experience the vengeance of the Lord, who keeps strict account of sin. Forgive your neighbor the hurt he does you, and when you pray, your sins will be forgiven. Is a man nurses anger against another, can he demand compassion from the Lord?

Parallel text of Chapter 28:2 are:

1.       Mt 5:23-24 - So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you (v. 23), leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering (v. 24).

2.       Mt 6:12p,14-15 - And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us (v. 12). Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; (v. 14) but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either (v. 15).

Verses 4 and 5 say: Showing not pity for a man like himself, can he then plead for his own sins? Mere creature of flesh, he cherishes resentment; who will forgive him his sins?

Parallel text for verse 4 is Mt 18:23-35 that says: “Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor. ‘And so the kingdom may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants (v. 23). When the reckoning began, the brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; (v. 24)^l but 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 (v. 25). At this, the servant threw himself down at his master’s feet. ‘Give e time’ he said ‘and I will pay the whole sum’ (v. 26). And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt (v. 27). Now, as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii;^m and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him. ‘Pay what you owe me’ he said  (v. 28). His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him, saying, ‘Give me time and I will pay you’ (v. 29). But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt (v. 30). 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 (v. 31). Then the master sent for him . “you wicked servant”, he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me (v. 32). Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you? (v. 33)” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt (v. 34). And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart (v. 35).’” Footnote  ^l says “About £3,000,000, $9,000,000: the amount is deliberately fantastic.”; Footnote

^m says “Less than £5, $15.”

Verse 6 says: Remember the last things, and stop hating, remember dissolution and death, and live by the commandments.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Sir 7:36 - In everything you do,^j remember your end, and you will never sin.^k Footnote ^j says “‘you do’ following Hebr.; Greek lit. ‘your words’.”; and  Footnote ^k says “Ben Sira may have no sure or clear idea of retribution after death but on several occasions he emphasizes the importance of the last moment, cf. 11:26-28. It may also be that the Greek translation has moved further in this direction, for the Hebr. has simply ‘in all your actions consider the end’, i.e. think of the consequences of your acts; the Greek is more explicit and for ‘the end’ reads ‘your last moments’ (ta eschata sou), inviting reflection on ‘the last things’”.

2.       Sir 38:20 – Do not abandon your heart to grief, drive it away, bear your own end to mind.^q Footnote  ^q  says “or ‘bear the future in mind’.”

Verse 7 says: Remember the commandments, and do not bear your neighbor ill-will; remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook the offence.

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Lv 19:17-18 - You must not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. You must openly tell him, your neighbor, of his offence; this way you will not take a sin upon yourself (v. 17). You must not exact vengeance, nor must you bear a grudge against the children of your own people. You must love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh (v. 18).

2.       Jm 2:8 - Well, the right thing to do is to keep the supreme law of scripture: you must love your neighbor as yourself…

3.       Ex 23:4-5 - If you come on your enemy’s ox or donkey going astray, you must lead it back to him (v.4). If you see the donkey of a man who hates you fallen under its load, instead of keeping out of his way, go to him to help him (v. 5).

The Second Reading is taken from Rm 14:7-9.

Verses 7 and 8 say: The life and death of each of us has its influence on others; if we live, we live for the Lord, so that alive or dead we belong to the Lord.

Parallel text of verse 7 is Rm 6:10-11 that says: When he died, he died, once and for all, to sin,^e so his life now is life with God (v. 10). And in that way, you too must  consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.^f

Footnote ^e says “Christ was sinless, 2 Cor. 5:21, but having a physical body like our own, Rm. 8:3, he belonged to the order of sin; when he became ‘spiritual’, 1 Co. 15:45-46, he belonged only to the divine order. Similarly, though the Christian remains in the flesh for a time, he already lives in the spirit.”; and Footnote ^f says “Text. Rec and Vulg. ‘Christ Jesus our Lord’

   

Verse 9 says: This explains why Christ both died and came to life, it was so that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living .

Parallel texts  are:

1.       Ac 10:42 - And he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people^o and to tell them that God had appointed him to judge everyone, alive or dead.^p  Footnote ^o says “I.e. the Chosen People, Israel, 10:2; 21:28.”; and  Footnote ^p says “Those still alive at the glorious coming and those who have died before the coming but then rise for judgment. See 1 Th 4:13-5:10. By raising up Jesus, God has solemnly invested him as supreme Judge, Ac 17:31; Jn. 5:22,27; 2 Tm 4:1; 1 P 4:5; to proclaim the resurrection is therefore to invite men to repentance, Ac. 17:30-31.”

2.       …and the reason he died for all was so that living men should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised to life for them.