Mt 18:21-35

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,

“Lord, if my brother sins against me,

how often must I forgive him?

As many as seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.

That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king

who decided to settle accounts with his servants.

When he began the accounting,

a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.

Since he had no way of paying it back,

his master ordered him to be sold,

along with his wife, his children, and all his property,

in payment of the debt.

At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,

‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’

Moved with compassion the master of that servant

let him go and forgave him the loan.

When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants

who owed him a much smaller amount.

He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,

‘Pay back what you owe.’

Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,

‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

But he refused.

Instead, he had him put in prison

until he paid back the debt.

Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,

they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master

and reported the whole affair.

His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!

I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.

Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,

as I had pity on you?’

Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers

until he should pay back the whole debt.

So will my heavenly Father do to you,

unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

Today's reflection from Laura Sturgess, 5th grade teacher at Holy Family School.

When our two sons were younger, our family room was the prime location for endless rounds of football toss. The older son, growing stronger with age, could often overthrow the ball simply due to the confined space, along with the ever-present quest to maintain the perfect spiral. Such was the case one day as I overheard the familiar sound of breaking glass and feet scampering down the hallway. All of this was promptly followed by infinite sobbing coming from the culprit who, in his shame, had hidden himself in his bedroom. 

Visions of bare feet reminded me to go first to the family room to assess the situation. In a house with three little ones, vacuuming shards of glass had become at least a weekly occurrence. There, below the mantle, I discovered the shattered remains of a framed Sacred Heart art project that the kids had worked to complete a few years earlier. The project itself was still intact, but the glass inside the frame was a total loss. 

Slowly, I walked the same hallway that those hasty little feet had traveled just minutes before. Honestly, many situations parenting young children involve a walk towards the suspect, which can be laden with feelings of frustration or annoyance. In the more Holy Spirit-filled moments, however, God allows you to see beyond your own perspective and, instead, see through the lens of an ever-merciful Lord who wants nothing more than to release the debt owed. 

Many memories flood my mind when it comes to the topic of limitless mercy. There have been moments when I have been offered forgiveness that set me free in ways that can only be called life-changing. I have also experienced the hard work of attempting to forgive someone else while simultaneously being wrapped up in my own feelings of hurt, resentment or anger. So why, then, in the midst of these merciful moments, did this memory of the football incident come to mind? 

As I opened that bedroom door, and met the tear-stained face of the boy who simply overthrew a pass, I was immediately struck by the look of sheer despair on his face. His 8-year-old eyes showed disgust for his action. His words told me that he was caught up in the notion that his mistake had ruined something that mattered. In his mind, the picture was lost forever, with no hope of repair. It was abundantly clear that he needed to be released from that debt. 

In this journey toward Him, the Lord has blessed me most often with the deepest spiritual truths revealed primarily through the ups and downs of parenting. My prayer this Lent is that you, too, may recognize His limitless Mercy in your own life. When you hear or speak the words, “I’m sorry,” or “Please forgive me,” remember that your Heavenly Father sent Jesus to show you how to be the vessel of limitless Mercy.  May His call to forgive “seventy-seven times” resonate in your family, workplace and community. Be Mercy. Even when shards of brokenness tempt you not to.

Please click play to join us in our prayer for today, led by 2nd grade students at Holy Family School.