Daily Gospel for Tuesday March 6, 2018

Gospel, Matthew 18:21-35

Then Peter went up to him and said, 'Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?'

Jesus answered, 'Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.

'And so the kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants.

When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents;

he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt.

At this, the servant threw himself down at his master's feet, with the words, "Be patient with me and I will pay the whole sum."

And the servant's master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt.

Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow-servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him, saying, "Pay what you owe me."

His fellow-servant fell at his feet and appealed to him, saying, "Be patient with me and I will pay you."

But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt.

His fellow-servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him.

Then the master sent for the man and said to him, "You wicked servant, I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me.

Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow-servant just as I had pity on you?"

And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt.

And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.'

Reflection on the Gospel of the Lord

Are you a forgiving person? How many times did you ask for forgiveness? Which is hard to do, to forgive or ask for forgiveness?

The Gospel today is about giving and asking for forgiveness. The servant in the parable is threw himself in front of his master and asking for mercy and patience and the master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. When this servant met his fellow-servant who owed him money, he seized and choke him by the throat and told him to pay what that fellow-servant owed him. His fellow-servant threw himself at his feet and appealed to him, but he didn't agree and have him thrown into prison.

Did that servant really sincere when he ask his master for forgiveness? I think he is not sincere because he is not a forgiving person. He did not show his fellow-servant the compassion that his master showed him.

The truth is, asking for forgiveness is a hard thing to do because you are acknowledging your sins. Actually it is very hard to take responsibility for the wrong things we did. But if we take responsibility for our sins and sincerely ask for forgiveness then it is not hard to forgive others.

If we ask for forgiveness or forgive others, we must always do it from our hearts.