Tuesday March 13, 2007

Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent

March 13, 2007



“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.’”

Matthew 18:21

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A theology class was talking about loving God. The professor asked the students to reflect on their own love of God. How was their love of God shown forth in their lives? One day the professor brought in a thin blank sheet of white poster board and asked the students to draw the face of the person that they were angry with or did not like. Then, the professor put the board on the wall, gave the students darts and told them to throw the darts at the face they drew. When the last dart was thrown, the professor took down the board and turned it over for the whole class to see what was on the other side. To their own dismay, there was a picture of Jesus damaged by all the dart holes. An obvious point here is that how we do or do not love others is how we do or do not love Jesus.



Peter, trying to love his Lord and Master, gives Jesus a very generous offer when he asks Jesus how much we are to forgive each other. He suggests seven times which means completely. Certain numbers have significance in the bible and a way we can remember seven is that it means heaven which is fully or completely. So, Peter offers to forgive completely and Jesus responds seventy-seven times which is eleven times seven times. Once we have forgiven seven times (completely), we are to forgive eleven times more than that! In other words, we are to forgive infinitely like Jesus forgives infinitely.



Forgiveness is the business of the Christian. In all our families, friends, neighbors and relationships there is ample opportunity to exercise forgiveness. I always say that the married relationship is a lot about forgiving and being forgiven much. If we are a Christian but are not in the business of forgiveness, then how empty is our faith?



Do you have any darts of unforgiveness in your hands? When we throw those darts at others, we throw them at Jesus.



A final challenge. I have only known a few to do this in life. What would our world be like if each of us lived by the rule that if we ever had the slightest inkling/sense that we somehow sinned against another person that we would immediately go to that person and restore that relationship through asking forgiveness if need be?



Live the confronted life!

+Fr. John