“Peter approached Jesus and asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21-22).  

The major theme for this 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time focuses on our necessity to forgive offenders and to reconcile with them in God’s justice and merciful love, reminding us of Christ’s teaching on clemency and reconciliation, challenging us to walk in His way to gain the eternal life.

Forgiveness is not an easy thing to do. It may take years to happen. For example: the Rwanda Genocide between the Hutus and the Tutsis peoples that took about one million lives between 1993 to 1996 in Rwanda Civil War. It is much easier to hate and punish than to love and forgive. However, only forgiveness can break the power and the vicious cycle of endless violence. Therefore, we must forgive.

Our Lord tied the forgiveness of sins to faith and Baptism, which is the first and chief sacrament of forgiveness of sins, because it unites us with Christ, who died for our sins and rose for our justification, so that "we too might walk in newness of life" (CCC #977). Moreover, the Church by the mandate of Christ has the power to forgive sins through the sacrament of Penance to reconcile the baptized with God and the Church (CCC #979, 980).

God does not want us holding a relationship of Transaction but Transformation. Therefore, Dynamic Christian disciples are those who (1) BELIEVE, (2) GROW, (3) SERVE, (4) LOVE and (5) LEAD others to Jesus. Today’s topic invites us to forgive our offenders as Christ taught us, to follow Jesus Christ more closely, to repent our sins, to exercise our Christian stewardship, to use our time, treasure, and talents to love God above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves, participating in the works of mercy, to accomplish God’s will in our lives to glorify God.  

How can we help each other forgive, and get reconciled and move beyond hurt and injury to experience true liberation from God?

Wishing everyone a blessed week in the Lord.