Through
You comes peace and
justice for all who are oppressed.
You make known the pathway of
truth, And guide us on the Way.
As
far as the heavens are high above
the earth, so great is your loving response
towards those who are humble.
Reading
Matthew 18:21-22
Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you,
not seven times but seventy times seven times.”
Reflection
The
18th century poet, Alexander Pope once wrote, “To err is human; to
forgive divine.” This quote came to mind when I read this passage from Matthew
which makes an important link between God forgiving us and our forgiving
others. Peter asks how many times he should forgive another and offers what he
regards as a very generous seven times; beyond what the cultural norms of his
time would have suggested. Then Jesus multiplies that by seventy; in other
words our readiness to forgive should be without limit. The reason is that is
the way God acts towards us.
Likewise, all the world’s major religions teach us about
the necessity of forgiveness;
it has been only recently that the medical and scientific world has begun to
delve into
the importance of forgiveness for health and well-being. It is now widely
recognized that unforgiveness, or holding on to past hurts and resentments,
deeply affects our emotional and physical health. Jesus speaks to the
necessity of forgiveness because he knows the effects unforgiveness has on
individuals, communities and nations.