One of the people who comes to me for spiritual direction has had a regularly scheduled monthly appointment for nearly the last three years. Unfailingly, he/she always texts or emails an hour or two or even minutes before our appointment seeking to reschedule. Every single time for all these months. Often, I’ve already arrived at our meeting place but no directee. He/she has no physical ailments, there’s never been an emergency or other sudden crisis but ‘something has come up’ or ‘I think a cold is coming on’ or some other fairly benign slight inconvenience that prevents our conversation. Does he/she merit forgiveness, or should I conclude genuine interest in spiritual growth is absent and end our arrangement?
Jesus gives a master class in this coming Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 18:21-35) that completely and decisively answers any question we may have about forgiveness. You recall the story. Peter asks the Lord how often he should be prepared to forgive someone who wrongs him. “As many as seven times?”, he inquires. It helps us understand the disciple’s question if we remember that the religious elders taught in those days once was imperative, twice was commendable, and three times was admirable and went far beyond what was needed. So, in offering to forgive seven times before denying forgiveness or even plotting revenge, Peter perhaps thought he offered a stellar and mighty leap high above the bar set for even the most conscientious lovers of God. We remember too, Jesus’ response, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times”, that is to say, without limit.
One more bit of background information. The Church uses the New American Bible translation in our liturgy that somewhat obscures the amounts involved. The New Revised Standard Version translation says the first debtor owed 10,000 ‘talents’ with each talent being about 75 pounds of precious metal (gold, silver, or copper). We should understand the amount owed to be so enormous that it would take perhaps a hundred years or more to repay the master. Compare that to the other who owes 100 denarii (the equivalent of 100 days average wages).
The master rescues his servant who’s crushed by the weight of his enormous debt by forgiving it. And yet, that same servant forgets the mercy he’s received and exercises his right to imprison his peer who owes him an easily repaid debt. Hearing of it, the master withdraws his generosity, his forgiveness so that the servant is imprisoned for life. So, what’s the point Jesus teaches?
The sins of believers are forgiven. We know that but we gloss over the prayer to the Father that we collectively offer at every Mass in which we plead, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Our forgiveness is conditional on how we treat others. The mercy we receive from God, just like the love with which he showers us, should fill us and overflow to inundate everyone around us. The Lord will withdraw his forgiveness if we fail to forgive. In a sense, my directee owes me for my time and my inconvenience by his/her self-centeredness. And yet, I look at what I owe to the Master for his cancelling the debt of all my past ingratitude, my behavior, my assaults against the human dignity of others, … and the rest that surely amounts to 10,000 talents of gold. And I remember being forgiven, most of the time that is, sadly, with ample room to be more consistent. And my directee? His/her debt to me is negligible compared to mine to the Master, not even worth the formal act of forgiveness. And so, when the text or email comes this month requesting an alternate date, I will reply as I always have for the last three years, “no problem – let me know what works for you”. And I will once again notice something incredible happens. The gifts I received from the Holy Spirit at my baptism - wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord (awe and wonder) -are not only reopened but plugged in and fully active. Life becomes so much easier and more gratifying once again. What about you?
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