Reflection
Azariah starts the first reading in prayer, asking God to “not take away your mercy from us.” He recognizes, on behalf of the Jewish people at the time, their sinfulness, asking to be received with “contrite heart and humble spirit...And now we follow you with our whole heart.” He pleads for the Jewish people to not be put to shame, “but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.”
In the Gospel, Jesus makes a point to us that we should not limit how many times we forgive our brothers and sisters in Christ. He tells a parable about a king who forgives his servant for a debt that the servant was unable to pay. This servant later goes on to throw a fellow servant of his in jail for being unable to pay back a much smaller debt than what the first servant had owed to the king. When the King finds out, the servant who threw his fellow servant in jail was handed over to torturers until he paid back the large original debt.
This Lent, our call is to become repentant disciples of Christ and we should practice forgiveness in order to be worthy of a greater forgiveness gifted to us by God. Jesus died on the cross to set right our relationship with God that was damaged by sin and restore that relationship. In the same way God forgives our sins, we are called to follow that example by forgiving those around us. The least we can do is forgive each other when we make mistakes.
Prayer
Lord God, this Lent, we ask You to look down upon us with the mercy You so willingly give us and grant us the grace to follow in Your footsteps to forgive the trespasses of everyone who falls short in one way or another. Amen.
Abbey Beach, ’21
First Reading: Daniel 3:25, 34-43
Psalm: 25:4-5ab, 6-9
Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35
Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website
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