Gospel: Matthew 18: 21-35
How many times must we forgive our neighbor? Seems like a reasonable question. People take advantage of us, annoy us endlessly, and the human condition can only take so much. We have our limits, and it is far easier to give up on someone than to invest in their moral improvement after all. Can we really be expected to have that much patience?
Jesus asks us to consider the question from another perspective: how many times do we ask God to forgive us of our faults? How often do we return to God time and again confessing the same sins over and over again, begging for God to forgive us yet again? And we fully expect God to do so! If we expect God's mercy and forgiveness each and every time we sin, then we too must do likewise with our fellow human beings.
We often seek every occasion to be at war and conflict with our neighbor. It is, after all, good for business, TV ratings, and political advantage. But it creates a toxic world and high body counts. Jesus forgave his executioners, those who denied and abandoned him, and even the one who betrayed him. If we make no effort to imitate the Lord Jesus in our own lives and show mercy to others, we have no claim on being one of his followers.
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