Book of Sirach 27,30.28,1-7. 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. Should a man nourish anger against his fellows and expect healing from the LORD? Should a man refuse mercy to his fellows, yet seek pardon for his own sins? If he 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; of the Most High's covenant, and overlook faults.
Psalms 103(102) 1-2.3-4.9-10.11-12.
Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
He pardons all your iniquities, he heals all your ills. He redeems your life from destruction, he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
He will not always chide, nor does he keep his wrath forever. Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us.
Letter of S, Paul to the Romans 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.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 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 his brother from his heart."
We want to praise God for His Word...and through this act of praise and thanksgiving we want to try to open our hearts even more to the wonderful gift of His Word, with which He consoles us in the night of this world and helps us to be glad in the joys of this life, which are also His, of Him Who is the Father of Light, and so also of all joy. BENEDICT XVI
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning, In the parable in today’s Gospel reading, that of the merciful King ( Mt 18:21-35), we find this plea twice: “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything” ( 26, 29). The first time it is pronounced by the servant who owes his master ten thousand talents, an enormous sum. Today it would be millions and millions of euros. The second time it is repeated by another servant of the same master. He too is in debt, not towards his master, but towards the same servant who has that enormous debt. And his debt is very small, maybe like a week’s wages.
The heart of the parable is the indulgence the master shows towards his servant with the bigger debt. The evangelist underlines that, “moved with compassion the master” — we should never forget this word of Jesus: “with compassion”, Jesus always had compassion — “moved with compassion the master let him go and forgave him the loan” (27). An enormous debt, therefore a huge remission! But that servant, immediately afterwards, shows himself to be pitiless towards his companion, who owed him a modest amount. He does not listen to him, he is extremely hostile against him and has him thrown in prison until his debt is paid back ( 30), that small debt. The master hears about this and, indignant, calls the wicked servant back and has him condemned ( 32-34): “I forgave you a great deal and you are not capable of forgiving so little?”.
In the parable we find two different attitudes: God’s — represented by the king who forgives a lot, because God always forgives — and that of the man. In the divine attitude justice is pervaded with mercy, whereas the human attitude is limited to justice. Jesus exhorts us to open ourselves with courage to the strength of forgiveness, because in life not everything can be resolved with justice. We know this. There is a need for that merciful love, which is also at the basis of the Lord’s answer to Peter’s question, which precedes the parable. Peter’s question goes like this: “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?” (v. 21). And Jesus replies, “I do not say to you, seven times but seventy times seven” (v. 22). In the symbolic language of the Bible this means that we are called to forgive always.
How much suffering, how many wounds, how many wars could be avoided if forgiveness and mercy were the style of our life! Even in families, even in families. How many disunited families, who do not know how to forgive each other. How many brothers and sisters bear this resentment within. It is necessary to apply merciful love to all human relationships: between spouses, between parents and children, within our communities, in the Church and also in society and politics.
Today, in the morning, as I was celebrating Mass, I paused, touched by a phrase in the first Reading from the book of Sirach. The phrase says, “Remember the end of your life, and cease from enmity”. A beautiful phrase! Think of the end! Think that you will be in a coffin… and will you take hatred there? Think of the end, stop hating! Stop the resentment. Let’s think of this phrase that is very touching. Remember the end of your life, and cease from enmity”...
Today’s parable helps us to grasp fully the meaning of that phrase we recite in the Lord’s Prayer: “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” ( Mt 6:12). These words contain a decisive truth. We cannot demand God’s forgiveness for ourselves if we in turn do not grant forgiveness to our neighbour. It is a condition: think of your end, of God’s forgiveness, and stop hating. Reject resentment, that bothersome fly that keeps coming back. If we do not strive to forgive and to love, we will not be forgiven and loved either.
Let us entrust ourselves to the maternal intercession of the Mother of God: May she help us to realise how much we are in debt to God, and to remember that always, so that our hearts may be open to mercy and goodness.
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.
Book of Sirach 27,30.28,1-7.
RispondiEliminaWrath 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.
Should a man nourish anger against his fellows and expect healing from the LORD?
Should a man refuse mercy to his fellows, yet seek pardon for his own sins?
If he 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; of the Most High's covenant, and overlook faults.
Psalms 103(102)
1-2.3-4.9-10.11-12.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
Letter of S, Paul
to the Romans 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.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ
according to Saint Matthew
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 his brother from his heart."
We want to praise God for His Word...and through this act of praise and thanksgiving we want to try to open our hearts even more to the wonderful gift of His Word, with which He consoles us in the night of this world and helps us to be glad in the joys of this life, which are also His, of Him Who is the Father of Light, and so also of all joy. BENEDICT XVI
EliminaPOPE FRANCIS
RispondiEliminaANGELUS 13 September 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning,
In the parable in today’s Gospel reading, that of the merciful King ( Mt 18:21-35), we find this plea twice: “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything” ( 26, 29). The first time it is pronounced by the servant who owes his master ten thousand talents, an enormous sum. Today it would be millions and millions of euros. The second time it is repeated by another servant of the same master. He too is in debt, not towards his master, but towards the same servant who has that enormous debt. And his debt is very small, maybe like a week’s wages.
The heart of the parable is the indulgence the master shows towards his servant with the bigger debt. The evangelist underlines that, “moved with compassion the master” — we should never forget this word of Jesus: “with compassion”, Jesus always had compassion — “moved with compassion the master let him go and forgave him the loan” (27). An enormous debt, therefore a huge remission! But that servant, immediately afterwards, shows himself to be pitiless towards his companion, who owed him a modest amount. He does not listen to him, he is extremely hostile against him and has him thrown in prison until his debt is paid back ( 30), that small debt. The master hears about this and, indignant, calls the wicked servant back and has him condemned ( 32-34): “I forgave you a great deal and you are not capable of forgiving so little?”.
In the parable we find two different attitudes: God’s — represented by the king who forgives a lot, because God always forgives — and that of the man. In the divine attitude justice is pervaded with mercy, whereas the human attitude is limited to justice. Jesus exhorts us to open ourselves with courage to the strength of forgiveness, because in life not everything can be resolved with justice. We know this. There is a need for that merciful love, which is also at the basis of the Lord’s answer to Peter’s question, which precedes the parable. Peter’s question goes like this: “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?” (v. 21). And Jesus replies, “I do not say to you, seven times but seventy times seven” (v. 22). In the symbolic language of the Bible this means that we are called to forgive always.
How much suffering, how many wounds, how many wars could be avoided if forgiveness and mercy were the style of our life! Even in families, even in families. How many disunited families, who do not know how to forgive each other. How many brothers and sisters bear this resentment within. It is necessary to apply merciful love to all human relationships: between spouses, between parents and children, within our communities, in the Church and also in society and politics.
Today, in the morning, as I was celebrating Mass, I paused, touched by a phrase in the first Reading from the book of Sirach. The phrase says, “Remember the end of your life, and cease from enmity”. A beautiful phrase! Think of the end! Think that you will be in a coffin… and will you take hatred there? Think of the end, stop hating! Stop the resentment. Let’s think of this phrase that is very touching. Remember the end of your life, and cease from enmity”...
Today’s parable helps us to grasp fully the meaning of that phrase we recite in the Lord’s Prayer: “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” ( Mt 6:12). These words contain a decisive truth. We cannot demand God’s forgiveness for ourselves if we in turn do not grant forgiveness to our neighbour. It is a condition: think of your end, of God’s forgiveness, and stop hating. Reject resentment, that bothersome fly that keeps coming back. If we do not strive to forgive and to love, we will not be forgiven and loved either.
Let us entrust ourselves to the maternal intercession of the Mother of God: May she help us to realise how much we are in debt to God, and to remember that always, so that our hearts may be open to mercy and goodness.
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.