Homily For The 24th Sunday In the Ordinary Time Year A, September 17, 2023
We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
MY Dearest Friends in Christ,
I welcome you in the name of the Lord on this 24th Sunday. May our encounter with the word of God today transform our lives to be forgiving people.
Have You Forgiven Him or Her Lately?
Reflecting on the readings of today, especially the gospel, I asked myself, have I not been very unsympathetic and unforgiving with those who have offended me in spite of all the forgiveness and mercy that God continually pours into my soul? Should I not have pity and forgive others even if they don’t deserve it, at least for God’s sake. If I do not forgive others, how then do I deserve to be forgiven by God?
God Is Challenging Us Today
My dearest friends the reading of today is a great challenge to us. It seems to me that hatred, anger, and wrath have been on the increase in this age of social media. The last decade has witnessed tremendous acts of man’s inhumanity to his fellow man: killings, divorce, kidnapping, family disputes, and endless other spiritual maladies are offshoots of hatred and unforgiveness. Love and peace come with an even higher price, that only forgiving people are willing to pay. Is our generation more forgiving than past generations? If we are not, what has led us to unforgiveness? Is it poverty, greed, pride, jealousy, or the world around us that promotes vengeance? “Hate has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it has not solved one yet.”–Maya Angelou
The theme of forgiveness pervades the readings of today. It is a debt we owe to our fellow men and women and to ourselves. It is a divine debt that cannot be fully paid. It is a divine responsibility with an endless limit of service time.
Forgiveness is Possible with the Grace of God
The human person is by nature vulnerable and feels the pain of an injury or any form of harm done. Our psychological mechanisms create a mental image of all the sad feelings we went through and all the circumstances, activities, and persons responsible for such feelings. These sad feelings even when not acted upon immediately tend to be stored in the subconscious mind and occasionally manifest in our conscious feelings. These sad memories activate feelings of hatred, anger, and unforgiveness. Forgiveness as an act, therefore, runs counter to our nature as humans. Our natural disposition or instinct is to revenge any harm done which seems to appease us but does the worst harm on all occasions. It takes only the grace of God which elevates our human nature to embrace forgiveness. It is the Holy Spirit that moves our hearts to forgive. Forgiveness becomes habitual when we cooperate with this grace of God. Forgiveness is a conscious and permanent attitude, not an occasional act. It enhances our relationship with each other and with God. True forgiveness from the heart can only occur through prayer. “Forgiveness is not a feeling; it is a commitment. It is a choice to show mercy, not to hold the offense up against the offender. Forgiveness is an expression of love.“–Gary Chapman
The word of God has always emphasized our need for forgiveness. It liberates us from the captivity of sin which unforgiveness brings. When we refuse to forgive others, we imprison ourselves in the dark cells of mortal sin. We deliberately build a wall that stops the flow of divine grace into our hearts, and finally, we sever our relationship with God. In fact, forgiveness is the primary and the most important virtue we need to relate with each other in our revengeful world of today. “It can be hard to forgive and let go but it’s important to remember that harboring the resentment and holding a grudge can hurt you even more. The word ‘forgive’ really means to give something up for yourself not for them.”–Jack Canfield
The Danger of Hatred and Grudges
Sirach in the first reading warns us of the danger of hatred and wrath. He admonishes us to remember death and decay, to cease from sin to remember God’s covenant, and to overlook the faults of others. Can anyone who harbors anger against another expect healing from the Lord Sirach asks? Of course not. Christ’s death on the cross was a debt paid for our sins. He forgave our iniquities. Rather than have humanity payback for sins, God paid the price to set us free. It was this debt of forgiveness that the gospel of today portrays when the master, out of compassion, forgave his servant a greater price than was owed. Therefore, as those who have been set free and forgiven, we too ought to have compassion for others and grant them the freedom from debts they owe to us When we say the Lord’s prayer, we ask God to forgive us as we forgive those who trespass against us. Think of it though, if we do not forgive those who hurt us, then, aren’t we lying to God in that prayer? Our prayer then becomes an abomination before God. It would be more truthful to say, do not forgive me because I have not forgiven those who trespassed against me . How does it sound? But that’s the reality of the prayer of an unforgiving person.
A Reminder to Treat Others The Way God Treats You
The attitude of the servant forgiven by the master and then who refused to forgive another reminds us of what we do to others. It is so uncanny and a huge ingratitude for us not to forgive others for their offenses when God has done so much for us. Forgiveness is gratitude to God for His love and mercy. It is what we owe to others. Peter thought there was a limit of seven times to forgiveness because seven symbolizes perfection, but Christ taught him there is no limit. Even if you keep a diary of all the times someone hurts you, you can never get to an unpardonable limit. And think about this. What if God limited the times He would forgive us and He said, after such and such amount of times you can’t be forgiven anymore? You’ve used up all your passes. Well, then heaven would be empty. God doesn’t limit the times, He forgives us. We should therefore not limit the times we forgive one another.
On the cross, Jesus forgave those who crucified Him. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. (Luke 3:34) Stephen did the same to those who stoned him. St. Rita did the same to the murderer of her husband and cautioned her children not to seek revenge. We too can forgive if we allow God to touch our hearts.
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another. If one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.”
– Colossians 3:13
Do not forget these words in a hurry: “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.” May divine grace touch our hearts to forgive especially our family and all who have brought us so much pain and hurt. May this day be our day of liberation.
I keep you and your family always in my prayers. ©Clem C. Aladi (2024)
