Posted on 09/10/2005 10:16:36 PM PDT by Salvation
Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Alleluia Ping List.
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
From: Romans 14:7-9
[7] None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. [8] If
we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so
then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. [9] For to
this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the
dead and of the living.
From: Matthew 18:21-35
Forgiveness of Injuries. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
Sunday, September 11, 2005 Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Fourth anniversary of World Trade Center bombing |
||
|
|
|
Struggling to Forgive |
|
09/10/05 |
In todays Gospel text Peter asks Jesus: "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive?" And Jesus responds, "seventy-seven times." In the Scriptures, the number seven symbolizes perfection, so the number 77 stands for an infinite number i.e., "always." |
Bishop Fulton Sheen, pray for us.
I am confident that with the commitment of Pastors and faithful, there will be an increasingly assiduous and fervent participation in the Eucharist in every community. Today in particular, I would like to urge people to sanctify with joy the "Lord's Day", Sunday, a holy day for Christians.
In this context, I would like to recall St Gregory the Great, whose liturgical Memorial we celebrated yesterday. That great Pope made a historically effective contribution to promoting various aspects of the liturgy and in particular, the proper celebration of the Eucharist. May his intercession, together with that of Mary Most Holy, help us every Sunday to live to the full the joy of Easter and of the encounter with the Risen Lord.
Benedict XVI Angelus message September 4, 2005
Thanks for the bump, Maeve!
Thank you for posting that quote from Pope Benedict XVI!
Sir 27:30-28:7 / Rom 14:7-9 / Mt 18:21-35 At the zoo one day, the big animals challenged the little animals to a football game. At half-time, the big animals were ahead, 56-0. As the second half began, the big animals handed off the ball to the tiger who went down in three seconds! "What hit you?" they asked. "The centipede!" said the tiger. Next they gave the ball to the lion who roared down the field, but he also went down fast. "What hit YOU?" they asked. The shocked lion answered, "The centipede!" Finally they gave the ball to the rhino. He thundered as far as the line of scrimmage and then tumbled to the ground. "It was the centipede," he moaned in response to their question. Calling time out, the big animals asked, "Where was this centipede during the first half?" "Oh," said the coach, "he was in the locker room putting on his shoes." We don't know who finally won the game. But we do know who would have won for sure if someone had helped the centipede with his shoes. Sunday's Gospel story is about a man who needed help in a big way. As a result of many stupid mistakes, he was buried under a mountain of debt so vast it could never be repaid. He was ruined and so was his family. And then out of the clear blue sky came help: The king forgave the whole debt, and gave him a new life! And what was the price of this second chance? The king TOLD him: Give a second chance to someone else who needs it. That is our mission as followers of Jesus: To do for each other what He does for us: lend a hand; give help where it's needed; lift away heavy burdens; give second chances in all their many forms as small as a second chance in a conversation and as large a second chance at life. The opportunity to do all that is present to us at every moment, as close as the person next to us. The church is a hospital for sinners, a hospital made by Jesus for people in trouble. EVERYBODY here NEEDS help. EVERYBODY here NEEDS second chances. And the corollary of that is: every last one of us OWES help and second chances in return. Think how much unearned help and how many unearned second chances have brought us to this moment. So many! They are the measure of what we owe you and I. And remember, God doesn't accept credit cards, but only payment in kind: help and second chances graciously given in abundance. Our giving with thankful hearts will bring its own gift back to us: hearts happy and alive on the inside. That is what God has always wanted for us. And that is what can be ours this day. May God grant us great hearts that are ready for this great work to which we are called! |
|
|
Mt 18:21-35 | ||
---|---|---|
# | Douay-Rheims | Vulgate |
21 | Then came Peter unto him and said: Lord, how often shall my brother offend against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? | tunc accedens Petrus ad eum dixit Domine quotiens peccabit in me frater meus et dimittam ei usque septies |
22 | Jesus saith to him: I say not to thee, till seven times; but till seventy times seven times. | dicit illi Iesus non dico tibi usque septies sed usque septuagies septies |
23 | Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened to a king, who would take an account of his servants. | ideo adsimilatum est regnum caelorum homini regi qui voluit rationem ponere cum servis suis |
24 | And when he had begun to take the account, one as brought to him, that owed him ten thousand talents. | et cum coepisset rationem ponere oblatus est ei unus qui debebat decem milia talenta |
25 | And as he had not wherewith to pay it, his lord commanded that he should be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. | cum autem non haberet unde redderet iussit eum dominus venundari et uxorem eius et filios et omnia quae habebat et reddi |
26 | But that servant falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. | procidens autem servus ille orabat eum dicens patientiam habe in me et omnia reddam tibi |
27 | And the lord of that servant being moved with pity, let him go and forgave him the debt. | misertus autem dominus servi illius dimisit eum et debitum dimisit ei |
28 | But when that servant was gone out, he found one of his fellow-servants that owed him an hundred pence: and laying hold of him, he throttled him, saying: Pay what thou owest. | egressus autem servus ille invenit unum de conservis suis qui debebat ei centum denarios et tenens suffocabat eum dicens redde quod debes |
29 | And his fellow-servant falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. | et procidens conservus eius rogabat eum dicens patientiam habe in me et omnia reddam tibi |
30 | And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he paid the debt. | ille autem noluit sed abiit et misit eum in carcerem donec redderet debitum |
31 | Now his fellow servants seeing what was done, were very much grieved, and they came, and told their lord all that was done. | videntes autem conservi eius quae fiebant contristati sunt valde et venerunt et narraverunt domino suo omnia quae facta erant |
32 | Then his lord called him: and said to him: Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all the debt, because thou besoughtest me: | tunc vocavit illum dominus suus et ait illi serve nequam omne debitum dimisi tibi quoniam rogasti me |
33 | Shouldst not thou then have had compassion also on thy fellow servant, even as I had compassion on thee? | non ergo oportuit et te misereri conservi tui sicut et ego tui misertus sum |
34 | And his lord being angry, delivered him to the torturers until he paid all the debt. | et iratus dominus eius tradidit eum tortoribus quoadusque redderet universum debitum |
35 | So also shall my heavenly Father do to you, if you forgive not every one his brother from your hearts. | sic et Pater meus caelestis faciet vobis si non remiseritis unusquisque fratri suo de cordibus vestris |
The Need for Forgiveness
St. Peter's Basilica
Panels of the Holy Door
Vico Consorti, 1949
The last door on the right is the "Holy Door". This door is bricked up on the inside. On the first day of the Holy Year the Pope strikes the brick wall with a hammer, and so opens the door to let in the pilgrims who come to make the most of the indulgence. It will be closed by the Pope himself at the end of the Holy Year. The Holy Door represents Jesus, the Good Shepherd and the gate of the sheep pen: "I am the gate. Whoever enters through me, will be safe. He will go in and out, and find pasture" (Jn 10:9). The Holy Year is celebrated every 25 years. In this century two extraordinary Holy Years of Redemption have also been celebrated on the anniversary of Jesus' death on the Cross: 1933 and 1983. When the wall is knocked down, the bronze panels of the door made by Vico Consorti appear. Since 24 December 1949 they have replaced the former wooden panels made in 1749.
orabat eum dicens [...] omnia reddam tibi
The sinner makes a declaration of faith and purpose to work out the debt in the same sentence
debitum dimisit ei [...] ille autem noluit
Christ the Lord forgives an existing debt/sin not asking for repayment. The sinner, however, refuses to do the work of mercy that the logic of forgiveness demands. This is a clear indication how the forgiveness of sin at Calvary does not render the faithful onto a robotic state of complete obedience but rather allows him to do or not do the requisite charitable work.
iratus dominus eius tradidit eum tortoribus quoadusque redderet universum debitum
The original punishment was twofold: the sinner, his household, and all his possessions are sold, and the payment is made out of the proceeds. The second punushment is merely that the payment is made under torture. In other words, the sinner remains forgiven, but his conduct following the forgiveness necessitates the torture. This is Purgatory: the place of purifying torture of the forgiven, temporary till the measure of their forgiven sin is cleansed in their souls. Once that consequence of sin is purged, the soul is free in Paradise.
Advice to take to heart.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.