Forgiveness – A Sibling Virtue!

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Dn 3:25,34-43; Mt 18:21-35

In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches about forgiveness. 

In the ‘Parable of the Unforgiving Servant,’ Peter’s use of the word ‘brother’ to ask ‘How often must I forgive ‘my brother,’ if he sins against me?’ is insightful.

Jesus also concludes by saying, ‘Unless you forgive ‘your brother’ from your heart,’ we will be subject to God’s punishment. 

In essence, Jesus means that the one who has wronged you is always your brother or sister, and therefore, forgiveness is a virtue to be practiced among ‘siblings.’

Secondly, the king was disappointed with the unforgiving servant. However, was it over money? In my opinion, money was not the issue for someone who forgave a loan of ten thousand talents. 

The king’s anger had a profound reason. The king wanted the forgiven servant to continue rotating the circle of forgiveness that he had initiated. The king had shown a model by forgiving his loan. 

The difference between ‘entire debt’ and ‘much smaller amount’ is a lot. The king is disappointed that his ‘wicked’ servant, instead of imitating him in forgiveness, betrayed him. 

The wicked, unforgiving servant broke the chain of forgiveness that the king had put in place. He dared to prove that the king was wrong. That kindles the wrath of the king. 

Thirdly, it is the question of numbers. How many times should we forgive our brother or sister? Jesus leaves it open-ended and thus renders it countless. 

Jesus invites us to practice forgiveness because:

1.Forgiveness is toward our brother or sister, though we may be justified and they may be at fault. 

2. It is an endless cycle that God has put in motion. It is one of the hardest virtues to practice and live by. And yet, we are called to carry it on. As recipients of God’s forgiveness, we are called to practice the same. 

3. It has to be practiced ‘always’ and without exception. It transcends numbers. 

Let us pray for God’s grace to practice forgiveness. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar