Daily Mass Gospel Reflection - Forgiving, Because He Forgave

Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches the necessity of constant forgiveness.
Forgiveness is an act and not an attitude.
It is the active repairing of a broken relationship,
even in the face of opposition, violence, or indifference.
When a relationship is severed, each party should, in justice,
do his part to reestablish the bond.

Forgiveness is the bearing of the other person’s burden,
moving toward him even when he refuses to move an inch toward you.
There is something relentless, even aggressive, about forgiveness,
since it amounts to a refusal ever to give up on a relationship.
Simon Peter asks Jesus,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus replies: “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.”
Christians should never cease in our efforts to establish love.

Jesus’ own startling practice of forgiving the sins of
others emerges as one of the distinctive and most controversial elements in his ministry.
And both rhetoric and practice reach their fullest expression when
the crucified Jesus asks the Father to forgive those who are torturing him to death.
We speak the truth because Jesus is the Truth;
we forgive because he forgave.

+++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 the fellow servant 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."

When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee
and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.+++

Jesus’ own startling practice of forgiving the sins of others emerges as one of the distinctive and most controversial elements in his ministry.

Here we go again with Boobie Barron preaching "francismercy" while ignoring that Jesus Christ is all just.

"But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea. [Matthew 18:6]

The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man shall be betrayed: it were better for him, if that man had not been born. [Matthew 26:24]

If man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man shall be betrayed. It were better for him, if that man had not been born. [Mark 14:21]

But then again, Boobie, hopes Hell is empty, despite the very words of Jesus Christ:

"But I will shew you whom you shall fear: fear ye him, who after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. Yea, I say to you, fear him. [Luke 12:5]

"And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. And the rich man also died: and he was buried in hell. [Luke 16:22]

"And alive, and was dead, and behold I am living for ever and ever, and have the keys of death and of hell. [Apocalypse (Revelation) 1:18]

"And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and hell gave up their dead that were in them; and they were judged every one according to their works. [Apocalypse (Revelation) 20:13]

For they that will become rich, fall into temptation, and into the snare of the devil, and into many unprofitable and hurtful desires, which drown men into destruction and perdition. [1 Timothy 6:9]

But there were also false prophets (e.g. Bergoglio, Cupich, McElroy, Barron, etc.) among the people, even as there shall be among you lying teachers, who shall bring in sects of perdition, and deny the Lord who bought them: bringing upon themselves swift destruction. (my comment) [2 Peter 2:1]

But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of the ungodly men. [2 Peter 3:7]

Momento Mori...

"Remember your death" - that you will die.

We all will die. We are guaranteed of that.
Remembering this, think about how you want to be when you die.
Will we have done God’s Will?
Or our own will?

The authentic Christian life- not often seen-
is not one of comfort...
but does end in an unspeakabie Joy, so worth going after.
A life we are warned though, to count the cost of such a life before entering.

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