PRAYER

As our prayer rises before You, O God, so may Your mercy come down upon us to cleanse our hearts and set us free to sing Your praise now and forever. Amen

READING

Matthew 18:21-35

²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

²³ “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. ²⁵ Since he was not able to pay,the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

²⁶ “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’²⁷ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

²⁸ “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

²⁹ “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

³⁰ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. ³¹ When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

³² “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. ³³ Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ ³⁴ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

³⁵ “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

REFLECTION

In today's reading Peter asks Jesus how many times he should forgive someone. Seven? Jesus replies, "Seven?! More like seventy times seven!" Does Jesus truly mean 490 times? No, His usage of the mathematical equation is to demonstrate an infinite number. Today, Jesus might have said you need to forgive a "kajillion" times. Jesus then uses a parable to explain why we need to forgive this many times.

It is hard to forgive because we often think forgiveness means we have to forget what happened or it negates the hurt we have felt. Simply put, forgiveness is choosing to let go of the anger, hurt and desire for vengeance. Jesus says we need to forgive because God has forgiven us. Our debt to God is much larger than any debt someone owes to us. In the Scripture, Jesus uses financial terms like owing someone a million dollars and being forgiven of that debt and then turning around and demanding a debt of hundred dollars be paid to you from someone else. If we are to live at peace with one another and with ourselves, we ought to forgive.

Some pain and hurt is too difficult and deep for us to process on our own and professional help is needed to unpack our emotions. Psycologists, social workers, counsellors, and others in the mental health field should be used to help us become healthy in body and mind. God can and does work through health care professionals.

How can we learn to forgive? Check out this article: Learn How to Forgive: 8 Steps to True Forgiveness by Jessica Oberreuter, MA, LMFT

1. Acknowledge the pain

2. Think through things

3. Imagine being on the other side

4. Remember God's forgiveness

5. Reflect on our Biblical command

6. Let go of the hurt

7. Continue to forgive

8. Pray for the person who has hurt you

LENT CHECK IN

Consider sitting quietly for a couple moments and think about your friends and family. Is there any relationship that stands out and may need attention? Are there strong emotions attached to this relationship? Try talking to God about this relationship. God can help by giving strength to forgive, and power to heal.