376. Twenty-fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)

Meditations no. 340 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

Practise charity in all circumstances.

Our Lord wants to speak to us about forgiving others, about our love for those who offend us. He tells us the parable of the king who wished to settle accounts with a servant who owed him an enormous sum of money.

Our Father said: The circumstances of the servant in the parable who owed ten thousand talents, are a good summary of our situation before God. We too are unable to find the wherewithal to pay the enormous debt we have contracted for so much divine goodness, a debt which we have increased through our personal sins. Even though we fight resolutely, we can never properly repay the great debt that God has forgiven us. However, divine mercy fully makes up for the impotence of human justice. God can say he is satisfied and remit our debt, simply because he is good and his mercy infinite.

This is the first lesson from the parable of the debtors. We were created by God and raised gratuitously to a supernatural mode of existence. He showed his affection for us still further by giving us a vocation to the Work. But love is repaid with love; and our love for God is shown by our love for our neighbour. Our Father wrote: We have a wonderful action plan: to spread, defend and practise the truth in charity.

Charity that is cheerful, warm and strong, both human and supernatural; affectionate charity that receives everyone with a smile and tries to understand their ideas and viewpoints. Like that, many people will be drawn to work with us.

Christ wants us to be sowers of his charity in the middle of the world, transmitters of his truth and love, co-redeeming with him by our apostolate of friendship and confidence. Our Lord’s imperative command to love is universal; it admits of no exceptions and knows no boundaries. In the words of St Jerome: One can find an excuse from every good work except love. You may say, “I’m incapable of fasting,” but you cannot say, “I’m incapable of loving.”

Sometimes frictions will inevitably arise with those we live and work with. Someone may offend us, behave badly, or even cause us harm. But we need always to forgive. What good reason can you give for not loving? St John Chrysostom asked. Someone responded to your kindness with injury? If your love passes through Jesus’ heart, such adversity will only lead you to love others more. That which destroys worldly friendships serves to strengthen Christ’s charity. How is this? First, because the ungrateful bring you a greater reward. Second, because they are more in need of your help and attention.

If our charity were to grow cold at the slightest offence, we would not be practising the commandment to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. When we examine our conscience, we should ask God for light to evaluate the way we have reacted to the large and small annoyances of every day.

Forgiving is a sign of fraternal love.

Our Father wrote: You complain that he shows you no understanding. I am certain he does as much as he can to try to understand you. But what about you? When will you make a bit of an effort to understand him?

The servant in the parable had no way of paying back his debt. When the master ordered him to be punished, the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, “Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. St John Chrysostom comments: God will also ask us to give an account of the commandments we have received, though no amount of service is enough to pay back all that we owe. We do, however, have a simple means to make amends for our enormous debt: never to hold a grudge against anyone.

Let us continue considering Jesus’ lesson. The parable, as you will remember, ends with a second scene, which is the counterpoint of the first. The servant, whose huge debt has just been cancelled, took no pity on a fellow servant who owed him only a hundred pence. And it is here that the meanness of his heart comes to light. Strictly speaking, no one will deny him the right to demand what is his. Nevertheless, there is something inside us that rebels and tells us that his intolerant attitude is very far from real justice. It is not right that a person who only a moment previously has been treated with mercy and understanding, should not then react with at least a little patience towards his own debtor.

Aware of the offence of his hard-hearted servant, the master commanded him to be punished. Our Lord concludes: So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not each forgive your brother from your heart.

St John Chrysostom says: God expects two things from us: to own up to our sins and to forgive others their trespasses. A person aware of his own sinfulness is better disposed to forgive his neighbour, in his heart as well as his words. Let us strive to be worthy of God’s great love by never wishing harm on anyone. Then even though our debt were ten thousand talents, God will have mercy and forgive us.

You have to be concerned about all souls, our Father wrote, and strive to understand them and view them always in a positive light. And concerned about your own soul too, but in a different way. I’ve told you that charity towards your neighbour has to be marked by understanding and forgiveness; but with ourselves we have to be firm and demanding. I have to be merciful towards everyone; and if someone were ever to seem unworthy, then would be the time to recognize my own unworthiness. I’m not worthy to bear the name Christian, or to be a priest, or a son of God in his Work. Understood?

Reasons for always forgiving; fruits of such charity.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, we pray every day at Mass. God has forgiven us a great deal, and we need always to forgive others: we have no right to hold a grudge. Christ left us his example, and continues asking us to turn the other cheek.

When you come to see yourself as you are, you will think it natural to be despised by others. What right do we have to get upset? Aren’t we often oversensitive? And even if on some occasion we have suffered a real offence, isn’t it true that we have offended our Lord much more? So our Father’s advice is: Make an effort, if necessary, always to forgive those who offend you, from the very first moment, for, no matter how great the injury or offence that has been done to you, God has forgiven you more. Our forgiveness should be sincere and heartfelt, never begrudging: then it will be supernatural.

We need to be vigilant to avoid the least fault against charity, whether external or internal. The small daily annoyances can never be an excuse - flowing from pride or superficiality - for being less cheerful in our dealings with the people around us. We need to keep vigilant, because what is asked of us is not merely a natural disposition: it is affection, considerateness, common sense and, above all, love of God, Christ’s charity.

We always come out victorious by forgiving others. In this way we imitate Jesus, who from the Cross asked his Father’s forgiveness for those who were crucifying him - for us, who were the cause of his death. And we come to savour Christ’s love, a love of true friendship, which is not self-seeking. Then God will forgive us our debts, our many infidelities, our many sins. Nothing makes us more like God than being always ready to forgive. And we will be led to make many acts of reparation for our own sins and those of all mankind. Our Father wrote: You are hurt by your neighbour’s lack of charity towards you. How much God must be hurt by your lack of charity, of Love, towards Him!

And we should always practise charity, making the path to holiness more accessible to others, and leading them to God, so that they can share in the joy and peace of Christ. A forgiving love also yields rich apostolic fruits.

Our Mother, holy Mary, will teach us to understand and forgive everyone. Thus we will be sowers of peace and joy, as our Father wanted.