Reflection on Today's Readings, 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, September 13th, 2020
Texts: Sir. 27:30-28:7; Ps. 103:1-4.9-12; Rom. 14:7-9; Matt. 18:21-35
We are encouraged today to take God's forgiveness as our model. God wants us to be like him in forgiveness. When we come to God for mercy, he wipes away our sins completely. Hence, the Psalmist says, "For as the heavens are high above the earth, so strong his mercy for those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far from us he does remove our transgressions". Complete and true forgiveness wipes away anger and wrath. We cannot claim to have forgiven a person when we are still filled with anger and wrath against him/her.
When we forgive our neighbours we will also receive forgiveness from God. The gospel reading shows that when we fail to forgive our neighbours, our sins will catch up with us. The case of the unforgiving servant was reopened because he failed to forgive his fellow servant and his sin finally caught up with him. The first reading reminds us that if we do not forgive our neighbours, we will not be able to receive forgiveness from God.
Paul, in the second reading, tells us that none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die we die to the Lord". This is to tell us that our lives should be oriented towards God.
Lord our God, infuse in us forgiving spirit that we may learn to forgive one another and live in love and peace. Amen.
Fr. Andrew Olowomuke
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