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September 16, 2023Our scripture readings this weekend focus on the importance of forgiveness. The word forgive is a verb, which means that it requires an action on our part. The best definition of “forgive” that I could find is “to cease to feel resentment against someone,” or in other words, to let it go. While letting go of hurts, disappointments, and anger may not be easy, Jesus invites us to give love a chance, to open our hearts and minds to the freedom that love brings.
In our gospel reading, we again find St Peter trying to grasp the full meaning of Jesus’ words. Like us, Peter was a work in progress. He wanted to do the right thing, but sometimes, he just missed the mark. Peter asks Jesus how often we should forgive someone who wrongs us, suggesting seven times may perhaps be enough. But Jesus pushes Peter further, suggesting not seven times but seventy-seven times. Jesus leads us beyond our own self-imposed limitations and invites us into the very heart of Divine Mercy.
Our first reading began with the words “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight.” How true it is. Violence doesn’t solve problems; it only makes them worse. We see the devastating effects of violence in our communities with the proliferation of guns and domestic violence. The civil rights movement in this country was largely successful because the young men and women sitting at the counters didn’t respond with violence. Those who marched for the rights of the oppressed were motivated not by hatred, but by love, and they softened the heart of the nation and taught us that violence is not the answer, that love indeed can conquer hate.
Those gospel values which fueled the civil rights movement are what Jesus is challenging us to adopt in our own lives. When we catch ourselves harboring anger or hatred, when we find ourselves judging another person or judging a group of people, when we find ourselves being resentful, it’s not just a warning sign that we are on the wrong path, it’s a full-on red light telling us to stop, to think, to take time to turn to God and ask for the grace to choose another path.
May God bless you and your loved ones today, tomorrow, and forevermore.
Fr. Harry
