Posted on 09/12/2026 10:05:23 PM PDT by fidelis
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“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.” Matthew 18:23–25
Jesus tells this parable in response to Peter, who asked, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times?” Peter likely thought he was being generous. But Jesus invited him to go far beyond what he imagined, responding, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.”
The context is helpful. Not long before this dialogue, Jesus had changed Simon’s name to Peter—Petros—meaning “rock,” the foundation upon which He would build His Church. He further promised Peter that the gates of hell would not prevail against it and said, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).
Soon after that, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain, where they were privileged to witness His Transfiguration—a glimpse of His divine glory. Peter had also witnessed many other miracles, some quite personal. For example, when asked by tax collectors whether Jesus paid the Temple tax, Jesus told Peter to go to the sea, cast a hook, and open the mouth of the first fish he caught. Inside, he found a coin worth twice the Temple tax—enough for both Jesus and Peter (Matthew 17:27).
Perhaps these recent events in which Peter played a privileged role left him feeling quite favored. He may have begun to think well of himself, sensing a special place in Jesus’ mission. Wanting to demonstrate his spiritual maturity, Peter made what he thought was a generous offer: to forgive his brother up to seven times.
In Jewish tradition, to forgive seven times was seen as more than sufficient. The rabbinic teaching often suggested forgiving up to three times, based loosely on interpretations of the Prophet Amos (cf. Amos 1:3). So when Peter offered seven, he was doubling that and adding one for good measure—a symbolic act of exceeding piety.
But Jesus’ response radically shifted the paradigm. Seventy-seven times—or, in some manuscripts, seventy times seven—is not a precise numerical limit. It’s a symbolic expression that conveys the idea of limitless forgiveness, echoing God’s own mercy toward sinners. Jesus was not simply raising the bar; He was inviting Peter—and all of us—into the boundless love of the Father.
Reflect today on the mercy you have received from God. Has He not been patient with you, gentle with your faults, and generous with His grace? Now consider someone in your life whom you have found difficult to forgive. Does that person’s offense compare to the debt God has forgiven you? Let this parable challenge you to a deeper conversion of heart, one that forgives as it has been forgiven, not seven times, but seventy-seven times, and more. Only then will the kingdom of Heaven truly reign in you.
Most generous Lord, You forgive more than seventy-seven times—more than seventy times seven. Your mercy is unconditional in its origin and limitless in its reach, yet it bears one condition: that I, too, show mercy to others. Grant me, dear Lord, a heart that is merciful like Yours, one that participates in and reflects Your Divine Mercy. May I forgive as I have been forgiven, so that the full debt of my sin may be wiped away and that others may be drawn to You through the witness of mercy in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
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The Month of September is Dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows
“And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.’” (Luke 2:33-35)
Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of September, 2026:
For the care of water
Let us pray for a just and sustainable management of water, a vital resource, so that everyone may have equal access to it.
Today’s First Reading
From: Sirach 27:30 - 28:7
Forgiving others
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27:[30] Anger and wrath, these also are abominations, and the sinful man will possess them.
28:[1] He that takes vengeance will suffer vengeance from the Lord, and he will firmly establish his sins.
[2] Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray.
[3] Does a man harbor anger against another, and yet seek for healing from the Lord?
[4] Does he have no mercy toward a man like himself, and yet pray for his own sins?
[5] If he himself, being flesh, maintains wrath, who will make expiation for his sins?
[6] Remember the end of your life, and cease from enmity,
remember destruction and death, and be true to the commandments.
[7] Remember the commandments, and do not be angry with your neighbor;
remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook ignorance.
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Commentary:
28:1-11. This passage contains three groups of sayings on one theme: seek peace and reconciliation, not discord. The first group (vv. 1-5) has to do with forgiveness: one has to forgive others in order to be forgiven oneself. The second group (vv. 6-7) gives the various reasons for not bearing grudges against one's neighbour: we should "remember" who we are and how good God has been to us. The third (vv. 8-11) warns against getting into arguments because they only make matters worse.
Our Lord may well have had these or similar sayings in mind when he taught in the Our Father, "Forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors" (Mt 6:12; cf. also Mt 6:14). "Christian prayer extends to the 'forgiveness of enemies' (cf. Mt 5:43-44), transfiguring the disciple by configuring him to his Master. Forgiveness is a high-point of Christian prayer; only hearts attuned to God's compassion can receive the gift of prayer. Forgiveness also bears witness that, in our world, love is stronger than sin. The martyrs of yesterday and today bear this witness to Jesus. Forgiveness is the fundamental condition of the reconciliation of the children of God with their Father and of men with one another" ("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 2844). And St John Chrysostom, quoting 28:2-4, writes: "Although you may not deliberately do harm to your enemies, if you fail to show goodwill to them and leave the wound open on their souls, you are disobeying the commandment laid down by Christ. How can you ask God to treat you with good grace, if you yourself do not show mercy to those who have sinned against you?" (“De compunction”, 1, 5).
From: Romans 14:7-9
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[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; 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.
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Commentary:
7-9. We do not own ourselves, we are not our own masters. God, One and Three, has created us, and Jesus Christ has freed us from sin by redeeming us with his Blood. Therefore, he is our lord, and we his servants, committed to him body and soul. Just as the slave is not his own master, but he himself and all he does redounds to the benefit of his master, everything we are and everything we have are geared, in the last analysis, not to our own use and benefit: we have to live and die for the glory of God. He is lord of our life and of our death. Commenting on these words St Gregory the Great says: "The saints, therefore, do not live and do not die for themselves. They do not live for themselves, because in all that they do they strive for spiritual gain: by praying, preaching and persevering in good works, they seek the increase of the citizens of the heavenly fatherland. Nor do they die for themselves because men see them glorifying God by their death, hastening to reach him through death" ("In Ezechielem Homiliae", II, 10).
From: Matthew 18:21-19:2
Forgiveness of Injuries. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
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[21] Then Peter came up and said to Him (Jesus), "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" [22] Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.
[23] "Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. [24] When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; [25] and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. [26] So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' [27] And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.
[28] But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, `Pay what you owe.' [29] So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, `Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' [30] He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay his debt. [31] When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place.
[32] Then his lord summoned him and said to him, `You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; [33] and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' [34] And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. [35] So also My Heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."
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Commentary:
21-35. Peter's question and particularly Jesus' reply prescribe the spirit of understanding and mercy which should govern Christians' behavior.
In Hebrew the figure of seventy times seven means the same as "always" (cf. Genesis 4:24): "Therefore, our Lord did not limit forgiveness to a fixed number, but declared that it must be continuous and forever"
(Chrysostom, "Hom. on St. Matthew", 6). Here also we can see the contrast between the man's ungenerous, calculating approach to forgiveness, and God's infinite mercy. The parable also clearly shows that we are totally in God's debt. A talent was the equivalent of six thousand denarii, and a denarius a working man's daily wage. Ten thousand talents, an enormous sum, gives us an idea of the immense value attaching to the pardon we receive from God. Overall, the parable teaches that we must always forgive our brothers, and must do so wholeheartedly.
"Force yourself, if necessary, always to forgive those who offend you, from the very first moment. For the greatest injury or offense that you can suffer from them is nothing compared to what God has pardoned you" (St J. Escriva, "The Way", 452).
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