We are to be godly

 

We are to forgive unconditionally.

Reflection on Today’s Readings, Thursday of 19th Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, August 17th, 2023
Texts: Joshua 3: 7-10.11-13.17; Psalm 114:1-6; Matthew 18:21-19:1 

Jesus Christ teaches us in today’s gospel reading to be like God. We are to pattern our lives after the life of God. Jesus emphasises this truth in His response to Peter’s question: “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” Jesus Christ goes further to tell Peter a parable that teaches us to forgive as God forgives. We are to be like God in forgiving our neighbours. Put differently, we are to be godly in our human relations. 

God forgives us unconditionally. The forgiveness of God does not depend on whether He has forgiven us before. God forgives us without making recourse to the past. We do not deserve forgiveness because it is our first or second time. God forgives us so that we may become a new person. Becoming a new creation is the goal of God’s mercy. The new creation is Himself. So He forgives us so that we might become like Him. He says, “I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” 

We are to forgive unconditionally

The instruction today is not to forgive one another but that we are to forgive as God does. We are to forgive unconditionally. Some of us only forgive those who have been good them. They will say, “I forgive you because once forgave me or did me good.” We are to forgive with the goal of teaching the person to forgive and be good. Some of us are like Peter; we forgive because that is the first or second time. That is ungodly too. We are to forgive because the person can change for better. Some of us only forgive friends and relations. Anyone deserves our mercy.  

Today’s first reading reminds us of how God has been gracious to Joshua and the people. He says, "This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” God has been gracious to us by giving us His only-begotten Son for our salvation. He saved us from slavery to sin through baptism and gave us His Spirit at confirmation. He feeds us with His Body and Blood and continues to pardon us at confessional. The grace of God always overflows. It is an abuse of God’s grace to prevent it from overflowing.  

Prayer 

God our Father, we thank You for being always gracious to us, grant that we may be gracious to others. May we forgive unconditionally and be godly in our human relations. Amen  

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke