READING OF THE DAY First reading from the Book of Sirach SIR 27:30—28:7
Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD? Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins? If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins? Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin! Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.
PSALM 103 " Bless Yahweh, my soul, from the depths of my being, his holy name; 2.bless Yahweh, my soul, never forget all his acts of kindness. 3.He forgives all your offences, cures all your diseases, 4.he redeems your life from the abyss, crowns you with faithful love and tenderness; 5.he contents you with good things all your life, renews your youth like an eagle's. 6.Yahweh acts with uprightness, with justice to all who are oppressed; 7.he revealed to Moses his ways, his great deeds to the children of Israel. 8.Yahweh is tenderness and pity, slow to anger and rich in faithful love; 9.his indignation does not last for ever, nor his resentment remain for all time; 10.he does not treat us as our sins deserve, nor repay us as befits our offences. 11.As the height of heaven above earth, so strong is his faithful love for those who fear him. 12.As the distance of east from west, so far from us does he put our faults. 13.As tenderly as a father treats his children, so Yahweh treats those who fear him; 14.he knows of what we are made, he remembers that we are dust."
Second reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans ROM 14:7-9
Brothers and sisters: None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY From the Gospel according to Matthew MT 18:21-35
Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? 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 the fellow servant 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.”
From the time of our Baptism, God has forgiven us, releasing us from an intractable debt: original sin. But that is the first time. Then, with boundless mercy, he forgives us all our faults as soon as we show even the least sign of repentance. This is how God is: merciful. When we are tempted to close our heart to those who have offended us and tell us they are sorry, let us remember our Heavenly Father’s words to the wicked servant: “I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” (vv. 32-33). Anyone who has experienced the joy, peace and inner freedom which come from being forgiven should open him or herself up to the possibility of forgiving in turn. (Angelus, 17 September 2017)
S. FAUSTI - " Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow-servant just as I had pity on you?" The foundation of my relationship with the other is the imitation of the relationship that the Other has with me. What the Lord has done with me is the beginning of what I do with my brother. Jesus tells us to love each other with the same love with which He loved us (Jn 13:34); and Paul says we are” generous,sympathetic,forgiving each other as readily as the Father forgave us in Christ” (Eph 4:32). The justice of the Son, which introduces us into the kingdom of the Father, is not the one that restores equality, according to the principle: whoever is wrong it pays. It is a superior justice, of those who love , which is in debt with everyone: to the antagonist it has to give the reconciliation to the small the welcome, to the lost, the search, to the guilty the correction, to the debtor the condone. It is the disparity of divine justice, which is mercy, gift, forgiveness. To the justice of the law that kills, it comes after that of the Spirit which gives the life. As a child I am called to have the same feelings for the brothers. The sins of others to me allow me to forgive as I am forgiven: they make me a perfect son like the Father. The evil that I do is the occasion that, by making me feel forgiven more, it will make me love the Lord more; the evil that I undergo is, in turn, the opportunity to forgive and love the brothers more , becoming more and more like to the my Lord. My evil becomes forgiveness of God, that of the other, my forgiveness that transforms me like God !. The forgiveness that I receive and that I give , it is the breath itself of God, the Holy Spirit, Which becomes my life. Forgiveness is the heart of Christian life. makes me a son of the Father and brother of my neighbour in communion with God and with men. Forgiveness does not deny the reality of evil. It supposes it; anyway in it , the triumph of free and unconditional love. is celebrated A love that does not forgive is not love. The passage is divided into two parts: the dialogue between Peter and Jesus on the unlimited forgiveness, and the parable that shows the reason of it.. It is built on dissimilarity between the magnanimity of the Lord who forgives the incomputable debt of a servant and the ruthlessness of this that does not forgive a small debt to an fellow of him. It ends the statement that the one who does not forgive it isn't forgiven. The forgiveness that I give comes from the forgiveness that I received. This parable, proper of Matthew, at the end of community talk, is an exhortation to forgiveness. Evil, instead of dividing and isolating one from the other, it unites and consolidates in mutual forgiveness. Forgiveness is the constant victory of love. It is useful to bear in mind that they can forgive to neighbour only if they are able to forgive themselves. And they forgive themselves if they accept to be forgiven by God. Jesus is the Son who loves the brothers as He is loved by the Father. The Church receives life from forgiveness and keeps it forgivening : the love received and given, as it makes begin, then it makes living the community.
Father Gianfranco Testa, Consolata Missionary for 30 years in America Latina; since 2009 engaged in the activation of initiatives to sensitize and training in the practice of Forgiveness and Reconciliation as a choice alternative to violence and revenge. Founder of the University of Forgiveness of Turin. Antonio De Salvia, degree in philosophy, criminologist, engaged since 26 years in the implementation of primary prevention programs in the Schools of Turin and Metropolitan Area, and of training paths to the practice of Forgiveness and the Reconciliation. Co-founder and President of the University of Forgiveness. Title: "The no's who free or imprison: how to use in the formation and in the coexistence of the human being". The no and the yes are opposite but also coincident, they are interdependent. and symmetrical, declinable together when they are turned to the human being both in his individuality (evolutionary process and pedagogical) that in its sociality (form and relationships of cohabitation). Rediscovering the dialectical function of differences and contrasts avoids homologation, vivifies research, improves critical analysis, favors awareness, responsible knowledge, self-awareness, formation of one's own identity in the acknowledgement of the otherness. In an age of globalization and the inevitability of the persistence of the social conflicts and simultaneously of exasperated (and desperate), subjectivism the need and the value of the choice of "no" are made explicit in the practice of non-violence, overcoming revenge and of retaliation as a preliminary requirement of justice; in the area of pedagogical the value of "no" is expressed in the acquisition of models and existential references capable of making us understand "the value and not the price of things" and "the need to walk together if you wants to go far". (author. by 'author)
PROPOSALS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FORGIVENESS BASIC TRAINING a) Course of Forgiveness: 3 meetings 1st Meeting ♦ We all carry wounds within us: does it make sense to continue to suffer? Is it possible to heal? How to do it? 2nd Meeting ♦ In life we can make choices: choose to be slaves to our past or to be free. 3rd Encounter ♦ What can help me to make the choice of Forgiveness, that is, the choice of my freedom? b) Course of Reconciliation: 2 Encounters 1st Encounter ♦ Forgiveness helps me to heal my personal wound; Reconciliation helps me to heal the wound in the relationship with the other person or others. Two pillars to support the bridge of Reconciliation: Memory and Truth. 2nd Meeting ♦ Two other pillars to support the bridge of Reconciliation: Justice and the Covenant. Impunity is never justice, punishment is often not justice: what is Justice? How is a Covenant built? Who loses and who gains? N. B. The meetings last 4 hours. Method: to feel, think, act, celebrate, share.
READING OF THE DAY
RispondiEliminaFirst reading from the Book of Sirach
SIR 27:30—28:7
Wrath and anger are hateful things,
yet the sinner hugs them tight.
The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance,
for he remembers their sins in detail.
Forgive your neighbor’s injustice;
then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.
Could anyone nourish anger against another
and expect healing from the LORD?
Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself,
can he seek pardon for his own sins?
If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath,
who will forgive his sins?
Remember your last days, set enmity aside;
remember death and decay, and cease from sin!
Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor;
remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.
PSALM 103
" Bless Yahweh, my soul, from the depths of my being, his holy name; 2.bless Yahweh, my soul, never forget all his acts of kindness. 3.He forgives all your offences, cures all your diseases, 4.he redeems your life from the abyss, crowns you with faithful love and tenderness; 5.he contents you with good things all your life, renews your youth like an eagle's. 6.Yahweh acts with uprightness, with justice to all who are oppressed; 7.he revealed to Moses his ways, his great deeds to the children of Israel. 8.Yahweh is tenderness and pity, slow to anger and rich in faithful love; 9.his indignation does not last for ever, nor his resentment remain for all time; 10.he does not treat us as our sins deserve, nor repay us as befits our offences. 11.As the height of heaven above earth, so strong is his faithful love for those who fear him. 12.As the distance of east from west, so far from us does he put our faults. 13.As tenderly as a father treats his children, so Yahweh treats those who fear him; 14.he knows of what we are made, he remembers that we are dust."
Second reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans
ROM 14:7-9
Brothers and sisters:
None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.
For if we live, we live for the Lord,
and if we die, we die for the Lord;
so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
For this is why Christ died and came to life,
that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Matthew
MT 18:21-35
Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive?
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 the fellow servant 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.”
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
RispondiEliminaFrom the time of our Baptism, God has forgiven us, releasing us from an intractable debt: original sin. But that is the first time. Then, with boundless mercy, he forgives us all our faults as soon as we show even the least sign of repentance. This is how God is: merciful. When we are tempted to close our heart to those who have offended us and tell us they are sorry, let us remember our Heavenly Father’s words to the wicked servant: “I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” (vv. 32-33). Anyone who has experienced the joy, peace and inner freedom which come from being forgiven should open him or herself up to the possibility of forgiving in turn. (Angelus, 17 September 2017)
S. FAUSTI - " Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow-servant just as I had pity on you?" The foundation of my relationship with the other is the imitation of the relationship that the Other has with me. What the Lord has done with me is the beginning of what I do with my brother.
RispondiEliminaJesus tells us to love each other with the same love with which He loved us (Jn 13:34); and Paul says we are” generous,sympathetic,forgiving each other as readily as the Father forgave us in Christ” (Eph 4:32).
The justice of the Son, which introduces us into the kingdom of the Father, is not the one that restores equality, according to the principle: whoever is wrong it pays.
It is a superior justice, of those who love , which is in debt with everyone: to the antagonist it has to give the reconciliation to the small the welcome, to the lost, the search, to the guilty the correction, to the debtor the condone.
It is the disparity of divine justice, which is mercy, gift, forgiveness.
To the justice of the law that kills, it comes after that of the Spirit which gives the life.
As a child I am called to have the same feelings for the brothers.
The sins of others to me allow me to forgive as I am forgiven: they make me a perfect son like the Father.
The evil that I do is the occasion that, by making me feel forgiven more, it will make me love the Lord more; the evil that I undergo is, in turn, the opportunity to forgive and love the brothers more , becoming more and more like to the my Lord.
My evil becomes forgiveness of God, that of the other, my forgiveness that transforms me like God !.
The forgiveness that I receive and that I give , it is the breath itself of God, the Holy Spirit, Which becomes my life.
Forgiveness is the heart of Christian life. makes me a son of the Father and brother of my neighbour in communion with God and with men.
Forgiveness does not deny the reality of evil. It supposes it; anyway in it , the triumph of free and unconditional love. is celebrated
A love that does not forgive is not love.
The passage is divided into two parts: the dialogue between Peter and Jesus on the unlimited forgiveness, and the parable that shows the reason of it.. It is built on dissimilarity between the magnanimity of the Lord who forgives the incomputable debt of a servant and the ruthlessness of this that does not forgive a small debt to an fellow of him.
It ends the statement that the one who does not forgive it isn't forgiven.
The forgiveness that I give comes from the forgiveness that I received.
This parable, proper of Matthew, at the end of community talk, is an exhortation to forgiveness. Evil, instead of dividing and isolating one from the other, it unites and consolidates in mutual forgiveness.
Forgiveness is the constant victory of love.
It is useful to bear in mind that they can forgive to neighbour only if they are able to forgive themselves.
And they forgive themselves if they accept to be forgiven by God.
Jesus is the Son who loves the brothers as He is loved by the Father.
The Church receives life from forgiveness and keeps it forgivening : the love received and given, as it makes begin, then it makes living the community.
Father Gianfranco Testa, Consolata Missionary for 30 years in America
RispondiEliminaLatina; since 2009 engaged in the activation of initiatives to sensitize and
training in the practice of Forgiveness and Reconciliation as a choice
alternative to violence and revenge. Founder of the University of Forgiveness
of Turin.
Antonio De Salvia, degree in philosophy, criminologist, engaged since 26 years
in the implementation of primary prevention programs in the Schools of Turin and
Metropolitan Area, and of training paths to the practice of Forgiveness and the
Reconciliation. Co-founder and President of the University of Forgiveness.
Title: "The no's who free or imprison: how to use in the
formation and in the coexistence of the human being".
The no and the yes are opposite but also coincident, they are interdependent.
and symmetrical, declinable together when they are turned
to the human being both in his individuality (evolutionary process and
pedagogical) that in its sociality (form and relationships of
cohabitation).
Rediscovering the dialectical function of differences and contrasts avoids
homologation, vivifies research, improves critical analysis, favors
awareness, responsible knowledge, self-awareness,
formation of one's own identity in the acknowledgement of the otherness.
In an age of globalization and the inevitability of the persistence of the
social conflicts and simultaneously of exasperated (and
desperate), subjectivism the need and the value of the choice of "no" are made explicit in the practice of non-violence, overcoming revenge and
of retaliation as a preliminary requirement of justice; in the area of
pedagogical the value of "no" is expressed in the acquisition of models
and existential references capable of making us understand "the value and not
the price of things" and "the need to walk together if you
wants to go far". (author. by 'author)
PROPOSALS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FORGIVENESS
BASIC TRAINING
a) Course of Forgiveness: 3 meetings 1st Meeting ♦ We all carry wounds within us: does it make sense to continue to suffer? Is it possible to heal? How to do it? 2nd Meeting ♦ In life we can make choices: choose to be slaves to our past or to be free. 3rd Encounter ♦ What can help me to make the choice of Forgiveness, that is, the choice of my freedom? b) Course of Reconciliation: 2 Encounters 1st Encounter ♦ Forgiveness helps me to heal my personal wound; Reconciliation helps me to heal the wound in the relationship with the other person or others. Two pillars to support the bridge of Reconciliation: Memory and Truth. 2nd Meeting ♦ Two other pillars to support the bridge of Reconciliation: Justice and the Covenant. Impunity is never justice, punishment is often not justice: what is Justice? How is a Covenant built? Who loses and who gains? N. B. The meetings last 4 hours. Method:
to feel, think, act, celebrate, share.