August 17, 2017 Thursday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time-A
Joshua 3:7-10, 11, 13-17
Psalm 114
Matthew 18:21-19:1
“Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Mt. 18:21
Lord, your man Peter wanted to know how many times he was obliged to forgive someone who has hurt him? He wanted to know a limit beyond which he could quit forgiving and take some other action against the offender. Peter was being a minimalist: someone who could get by with the minimum to satisfy the rules. You set him straight when you told him that forgiveness has no limit. You told him to stop counting and start forgiving. The king in your story had a heart of compassion for the debtor that was greater than his desire for retribution and payback. Lord, I am so very fortunate that you don’t count how often you have forgiven me. I’d be in a world of hurt if you stopped at seven times, or even seventy-seven times. Please, Lord, teach me to forgive like you. May I start with those closest to me. From there I can go on to those I don’t like, and even those people who don’t seem to care if I forgive them. Dear Jesus, your mercy is like the air I breathe, I can’t live a day without it. Amen.