24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) - 17 September
17th September 2023
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) - 17 September
“If a man finds it very hard to forgive injuries, let him look at a Crucifix, and think that Christ shed all His Blood for him, and not only forgave His enemies, but even prayed His Heavenly Father to forgive them also.” - St Philip Neri
A reflection on today's Gospel by the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J Sheen:
"'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’ (Luke 23:34).
"Our Lord used the word forgive because He was innocent and knew all, but we must use it for other reasons. Firstly, because we have been forgiven greater sins by God. Secondly, because only by forgiving can hate be banished from the world. And thirdly, because our own pardon is conditioned by the pardon we extend to others.
"Firstly, we must forgive others because God has forgiven us. There is no injustice any human being has ever committed against us that is comparable to the injustice we commit against God by our sins. It is this idea that Our Lord suggests in the parable of the unmerciful servant, who was forgiven a debt of ten thousand talents by his master, and immediately afterward went out and choked a fellow servant who owed him only a hundred pence. The debt, which the master forgave the servant was 1,250,000 times greater than the debt owed by the fellow servant. In this great disproportion is revealed how much greater are man’s sins against God than are the sins of our fellowmen against us. We must, therefore, forgive our enemies because we have been forgiven the greater sin of treating God as an enemy.
"And if we do not forgive the sins of our enemies, it is very likely because we have never cast up our accounts with God. Herein is to be found the secret of so much of the violence and bitterness of some men in our modern world: they refuse to think of themselves as ever having offended God and therefore never think of themselves as needing pardon.
"They think they need no pardon; hence no one else should ever have it. The man who knows not his own guilt before God is apt to be most unforgiving to others, as David at the time of his worst sin.
"Our condemnation is often the veil for our own weakness: we cover up our nakedness with the mantle of criticism; we see the mote in our brother’s eyes, but never the beam in our own. We carry all our neighbour’s faults in a sack in front of us, and all our own in a sack behind us.
"The cruellest master is the man who never learned to obey, and the severest judge is the man who never examines his own conscience. The man who is conscious of his need of absolution is the one who is most likely to be indulgent to others.
"It is the forgetfulness of its own sins that makes modern hate so deep and bitter. Men throttle their neighbour for a penny because they forget God forgave them a debt of ten thousand talents. Let them only think of how good God has been to them, and they will begin to be good to others.
"A second reason for forgiving those who make us suffer unjustly is that if we do not forgive, hate will multiply until the whole world is hateful. Hate is extremely fertile; it reproduces itself with amazing rapidity. How can all this hatred be stopped when one man is slapping another on the cheek? There is only one way, and that is by turning the other cheek, which means: ‘I forgive; I refuse to hate you. If I hate you, I will add my quota to the sum total of hate. This I refuse to do. I will kill your hate; I will drive it from the earth. I will love you.’
"Finally, we must forgive others, for on no other condition will our own sins be forgiven. In fact, it is almost a moral impossibility for God to forgive us unless we, in turn, forgive. Has He not said: ‘Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy’? ‘Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. Give, and it shall be given unto you … For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again’.
"If a box is filled with salt, it cannot be filled with sand, and if our hearts are filled with hatred of our neighbour, how can God fill them with His love? It is just as simple as that. There can be, and there will be, no mercy toward us unless we ourselves are merciful. The real test of the Christian, then, is not how much he loves his friends, but how much he loves his enemies. The divine command is clear: ‘Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you.’
"Forgive, then! Forgive even seventy times seven times! Soften the pillow of death by forgiving your enemies their little sins against you, that you may be forgiven your great sins against God. Forgive those who hate you, that you may conquer them by love. Forgive those who injure you, that you may be forgiven your offences."
(The Cries of Jesus from the Cross)
Prayer for Forgiveness
O Lord, Jesus Christ, Redeemer and Saviour, in Your mercy forgive my sins. Count not my transgressions, but rather, my tears of repentance. Remember not my iniquities, but, more especially, my sorrow for the offences I have committed against You. Help me to mirror Your merciful heart so I may forgive all those who have hurt or wronged me and those I love. Amen. 💐🙏💖
Food for thought
Do not ever say: ‘I cannot endure this thing from such a person, nor should this be expected of me, for that person has done me a great wrong; but from someone else, I am willing to put up with what I think is fitting for me to suffer.’ This is a foolish thought, for you are forgetting the virtue of patience and by Whom its practice is rewarded, only considering the persons and the offences done. They are not truly patient who will suffer only as much as they please and from whom they please. Persons who are really patient do not mind who causes their suffering. Whenever any adversity happens to them, they accept all gratefully as from the hand of God and consider it as a great benefit, for there is nothing we can suffer for God that goes without merit. So forgive all those who offend or hurt you. Endure the sufferings patiently that you may always mirror Christ.
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) - 17 September
“If a man finds it very hard to forgive injuries, let him look at a Crucifix, and think that Christ shed all His Blood for him, and not only forgave His enemies, but even prayed His Heavenly Father to forgive them also.” - St Philip Neri
A reflection on today's Gospel by the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J Sheen:
"'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’ (Luke 23:34).
"Our Lord used the word forgive because He was innocent and knew all, but we must use it for other reasons. Firstly, because we have been forgiven greater sins by God. Secondly, because only by forgiving can hate be banished from the world. And thirdly, because our own pardon is conditioned by the pardon we extend to others.
"Firstly, we must forgive others because God has forgiven us. There is no injustice any human being has ever committed against us that is comparable to the injustice we commit against God by our sins. It is this idea that Our Lord suggests in the parable of the unmerciful servant, who was forgiven a debt of ten thousand talents by his master, and immediately afterward went out and choked a fellow servant who owed him only a hundred pence. The debt, which the master forgave the servant was 1,250,000 times greater than the debt owed by the fellow servant. In this great disproportion is revealed how much greater are man’s sins against God than are the sins of our fellowmen against us. We must, therefore, forgive our enemies because we have been forgiven the greater sin of treating God as an enemy.
"And if we do not forgive the sins of our enemies, it is very likely because we have never cast up our accounts with God. Herein is to be found the secret of so much of the violence and bitterness of some men in our modern world: they refuse to think of themselves as ever having offended God and therefore never think of themselves as needing pardon.
"They think they need no pardon; hence no one else should ever have it. The man who knows not his own guilt before God is apt to be most unforgiving to others, as David at the time of his worst sin.
"Our condemnation is often the veil for our own weakness: we cover up our nakedness with the mantle of criticism; we see the mote in our brother’s eyes, but never the beam in our own. We carry all our neighbour’s faults in a sack in front of us, and all our own in a sack behind us.
"The cruellest master is the man who never learned to obey, and the severest judge is the man who never examines his own conscience. The man who is conscious of his need of absolution is the one who is most likely to be indulgent to others.
"It is the forgetfulness of its own sins that makes modern hate so deep and bitter. Men throttle their neighbour for a penny because they forget God forgave them a debt of ten thousand talents. Let them only think of how good God has been to them, and they will begin to be good to others.
"A second reason for forgiving those who make us suffer unjustly is that if we do not forgive, hate will multiply until the whole world is hateful. Hate is extremely fertile; it reproduces itself with amazing rapidity. How can all this hatred be stopped when one man is slapping another on the cheek? There is only one way, and that is by turning the other cheek, which means: ‘I forgive; I refuse to hate you. If I hate you, I will add my quota to the sum total of hate. This I refuse to do. I will kill your hate; I will drive it from the earth. I will love you.’
"Finally, we must forgive others, for on no other condition will our own sins be forgiven. In fact, it is almost a moral impossibility for God to forgive us unless we, in turn, forgive. Has He not said: ‘Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy’? ‘Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. Give, and it shall be given unto you … For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again’.
"If a box is filled with salt, it cannot be filled with sand, and if our hearts are filled with hatred of our neighbour, how can God fill them with His love? It is just as simple as that. There can be, and there will be, no mercy toward us unless we ourselves are merciful. The real test of the Christian, then, is not how much he loves his friends, but how much he loves his enemies. The divine command is clear: ‘Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you.’
"Forgive, then! Forgive even seventy times seven times! Soften the pillow of death by forgiving your enemies their little sins against you, that you may be forgiven your great sins against God. Forgive those who hate you, that you may conquer them by love. Forgive those who injure you, that you may be forgiven your offences." (The Cries of Jesus from the Cross)
Prayer for Forgiveness
O Lord, Jesus Christ, Redeemer and Saviour, in Your mercy forgive my sins. Count not my transgressions, but rather, my tears of repentance. Remember not my iniquities, but, more especially, my sorrow for the offences I have committed against You. Help me to mirror Your merciful heart so I may forgive all those who have hurt or wronged me and those I love. Amen. 💐🙏💖
Food for thought
Do not ever say: ‘I cannot endure this thing from such a person, nor should this be expected of me, for that person has done me a great wrong; but from someone else, I am willing to put up with what I think is fitting for me to suffer.’ This is a foolish thought, for you are forgetting the virtue of patience and by Whom its practice is rewarded, only considering the persons and the offences done. They are not truly patient who will suffer only as much as they please and from whom they please. Persons who are really patient do not mind who causes their suffering. Whenever any adversity happens to them, they accept all gratefully as from the hand of God and consider it as a great benefit, for there is nothing we can suffer for God that goes without merit. So forgive all those who offend or hurt you. Endure the sufferings patiently that you may always mirror Christ.
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