Homily for the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Authors of today’s three Readings speak to us of forgiveness in three inter-related ways:
+Sirach presents forgiveness as fulfillment of the Commandments…
+ Saint Paul treats forgiveness as a way of living… — and —
+ The Lord shows how forgiveness can become a means of attaining holiness.

The Prophet Sirach
“Think of the Commandments: hate not your neighbor,” he writes. He refers here to the Fifth Commandment: “Thou shalt not kill,” since hatred brings death to relationships. Keeping in mind that the Commandments are given for our benefit, not for God’s, God’s Law points us toward choices in thought, word, and deed that lead to genuine human flourishing, and away from choices that are destructive.

The Command to forgive is no different, as the Prophet writes further: “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight.” Refusing to forgive holds a person in the past, constantly re-living hurtful words or actions.

Sirach cautions against nourishing anger and refusing mercy, lest our lives lead to death and decay. In this he anticipates Saint Peter’s legitimate question about the frequency of forgiveness as a means of fulfilling the Law when Peter asks, “How many time must I forgive?”

Peter is not speaking here in minimalist terms, because he actually includes a possible number of times for forgiving - seven - a number that in Biblical terms signifies fullness or completion. When the Lord answers, “Not seven times, but seventy-times-seven times,” He speaks of the incomprehensible depth of Divine Mercy.

The figure of 70 x 7 suggests limitless forgiveness as the means of fulfilling the Commandments. Married couples would likely reach that 490 times fairly early-on, for what hope would there be for marriage or family life without this fullness,
 consistency, or willingness to forgive?

“Seventy-time-seven” commands us to extend more forgiveness than what others might merit because when we forgive generously, we are imitating God’s mercy which we cannot merit. Forgiveness, then, becomes more than simply a way of fixing things; it is a participation in the Mercy of God.

THE APOSTLE SAINT PAUL…
… takes us beyond the fulfillment of the Commandments to speak of forgiveness as a way of life. Once we internalize the message of the Commandments, that message and that wisdom become a way of living.

He begins by saying, “None of us lives for himself, and none of us dies for himself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord.” This means that we must be living, breathing manifestations of the Lord and of His mercy.

This is all well and good in our inter-personal dealings when we muster the charity to forgive
+ a perceived slight
+ a curt word  - or -
+ an undeserved insult.

But what does this mean when we’re asked to consider forgiveness when unspeakable evil is done,  such as:
+ the abuse of a child
+ mass shootings
+ acts of terrorism?

Can we be expected to forgive perpetrators of heinous crimes, especially when our enemies perceive forgiveness as weakness rather than godliness? The Lord tells us we must forgive, but bringing abusers, murderers and terrorists to justice is not inconsistent with the Lord’s command to forgive. So, then, why are we to balance justice and forgiveness? To answer this, we turn to the Gospel.

THE LORD JESUS…
… teaches that by forgiving others, whether they be
+ a spouse who is too critical
+ a boss who is un-affirming
+ a child who is ungrateful — or —
+ murderers and terrorists whose evil attacks seem to amass the 70 X 7 requirement all at once, we are imitating our Heavenly Father. After all, we pray in the Lord’s Prayer: “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those…” If I’m asking God to be as forgiving as I am… I’m sunk.

The purpose of this line in the Lord’s Prayer is, of course, the opposite: What we’re doing here is asking the Lord to make us as forgiving as He is. Consider this: Jesus Christ, the perfect icon of the Father forgave His executioners from the very Cross where he hung, dying. We must do as Jesus did if we are to be God’s children in Truth as well as in deed.

Understanding the “why” of forgiveness, let’s take a look at the “how.” Forgiving “from the heart”, as Jesus commands, can sometimes be very difficult, but will eventually lead to our own inner healing. Forgiveness in this manner is not meant simply to be therapeutic: it is an act of Faith.

Opening our hearts by praying for those who have offended us whether in small hurts, or in atrocious evil, allows the Holy Spirit into our hearts where He can free us from
+ anger
+ resentment
+ bitterness
+ hatred

It may seen naïve and irresponsible to suggest forgiveness for such evil actions as terrorism or mass murder, especially when we know that terrorist organizations and individuals intend to continue their evil actions.

Here, the “forgive and forget” which strengthens and renews marriage and family life does not apply. Instead, to “forgive and remember” encourages the vigilance required to prevent and to protect, the innocent from future evil. But, for now, let’s focus on interpersonal forgiveness.

If we feel we cannot, for the time being, pray sincerely for someone who has harmed us, we can ask God to forgive them in and through us. What we cannot forgive, God can.

Then we must overcome thinking that forgiving another person means developing positive feelings for them. The purest form of charity is not a matter of warm feelings, but to will the good of the other person despite our feelings.

When love fails to come forth from our hearts, we should ask for the ability to love with the heart of Christ. Eventually, that love will deepen us as the Lord makes us agents of His mercy and His charity.

True forgiveness, like true charity, is not a feeling… it is 
+ a decision
+ a choice
+ an act of the will…
… often hard to accomplish except with God’s Grace.

If we wait for our feelings to change, we could, for a rather long time, identify persons and define relationships only by past hurts, not in ultimate realities. Forgiveness has the power to bring us — if not them — to conversion.

With the help of God’s Grace, we can make a decision to pray for another person so that they may be turned over to God’s blessing. In time, our feelings can catch up with our good will. Then we will know that true freedom that comes from following the Lord’s command to forgive from the heart, and begin the ascent to holiness.