Sunday 13 September 2026
Lectio
Divina:*
(See also Luke 17:4)
Meditatio:
‘So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you,
if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart’ (Matthew 18:35)
Commentary:
This Sunday’s Gospel begins with Peter’s question: how often
must he forgive a brother who sins against him? Jesus responds that forgiveness
cannot be measured or limited. He then tells the parable of the unforgiving
servant and concludes with a solemn warning that forgiveness must come ‘from
your heart’.
Forgiveness cuts both ways: our forgiveness of others and God’s forgiveness of us. Jesus has already taught that reconciliation with our neighbour is inseparable from authentic worship (Matthew 5:23-24). Forgiveness is not cheap, nor is it limited to minor grievances. It reaches into the deepest wounds of human experience.
In Ireland, many still carry painful memories of abuse,
violence and loss. The legacy of domestic abuse, clerical sexual abuse, institutional
failures and the Troubles has left scars that endure for decades. Many people
continue to live with grief, trauma and unanswered questions. When a loved one
has been killed, maimed, or deeply harmed, forgiveness can seem impossible. The
memory of suffering does not simply disappear with the passing of years.
The wisdom of Sirach speaks directly to this reality: ‘Anger
and wrath, these also are abominations’ (Sirach 27:30). The sacred author asks
a searching question: if we cling to anger and refuse mercy, how can we seek
mercy from God ourselves? Sirach does not minimise suffering. Rather, it
invites us to remember our own dependence on God’s forgiveness and to avoid
becoming imprisoned by resentment.
This is not easy. It is one thing to say, ‘I forgive that
person’. It is another thing to let go of bitterness, fear and resentment. Many
of us know from experience that painful memories linger. A strained
relationship, an awkward encounter or a reluctance to meet someone’s gaze can
reveal wounds that have not fully healed. Forgiveness is therefore often a
process rather than a single moment. It requires grace, prayer, patience,
honesty and time.
The Lord’s Prayer reminds us of this challenge every day: ‘Forgive
us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’. We ask God to
treat us with the same mercy that we extend to others. Such a prayer demands
sincerity. Genuine forgiveness is difficult because it involves the healing of
the heart, not merely words spoken on the lips.
Peter’s question remains relevant. What happens when someone
continues to offend, betray or harm despite repeated forgiveness? The challenge
becomes even greater in situations involving violence, abuse or serious
wrongdoing. How should victims respond when perpetrators offer excuses,
minimise their actions or show little genuine remorse?
Here it is essential to distinguish forgiveness from the
facilitation of wrongdoing. Christian forgiveness does not require people to
remain in abusive situations or to ignore injustice. Refusing to confront
abuse, or refusing to establish necessary boundaries, is not forgiveness. It
may instead enable further harm. The Gospel calls us to forgive, but it does
not require us to deny the truth or abandon prudence.
Forgiveness is better understood as a gradual letting go of
the hold that evil has over our hearts. If we remain trapped in hatred or
resentment, the person who wounded us continues to exert power over us, even if
they are long gone from our lives. Forgiveness is part of the healing process.
It frees us from being defined by our wounds while still acknowledging the
reality of what happened.
An important aid to forgiveness is humility. St Paul reminds
us in today’s second reading that ‘whether we live or whether we die, we are
the Lord’s’ (Romans 14:7-9). None of us belongs entirely to ourselves, and none
of us stands as the ultimate judge of another. We all live under the lordship
of Christ. Elsewhere Paul reminds us that we, too, fall short of the demands of
love and mercy. Recognising our own need for forgiveness can soften our hearts
toward others.
The response of the psalmist reinforces this truth. Psalm
103:8 praises the Lord who is ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to
anger and abounding in steadfast love. God does not deal with us according to
our sins nor repay us according to our faults. His mercy is the model for our
own. As those who have received mercy, we are called to become instruments of
mercy.
The parable of the unforgiving servant highlights this point
dramatically. A servant forgiven an enormous debt refuses mercy to a fellow
servant who owes comparatively little. The irony is striking. Having received
compassion, he refuses to show compassion. Jesus’ warning is clear: those who
receive God’s mercy must also extend mercy to others.
Such forgiveness has implications not only for individuals
but also for families, workplaces, communities and societies. Family feuds,
workplace conflicts, gossip, resentment, and division can all be transformed
when even one person chooses humility and mercy over retaliation. Forgiveness
may not resolve every conflict, nor will it always restore broken relationships.
Yet it plants seeds of healing and reconciliation.
Ultimately, Christian forgiveness is rooted not in human
strength but in God’s grace. It does not excuse evil, deny justice, or erase
painful memories. Rather, it allows us to entrust both ourselves and others to
the mercy of God, whose compassion is greater than our wounds and whose
forgiveness is the pattern for our own.
Some
extras:
Collect
of the Word for this Sunday (Church of Ireland)
O God, you call your Church to witness that in Christ we are
reconciled to you: help us to proclaim the good news of your love, that all who
hear it may turn to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Post-Communion prayer (Roman Catholic missal of 1970)
Lord, may the Eucharist you have given us influence our
thoughts and actions. May your Spirit guide and direct us in your way. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Private prayer after Holy Communion
(from The Family Missal and Prayer Book of the Church of
the Holy Spirit, Ballyroan, Dublin, 1976)
Lord Jesus, God of mercy and compassion, we belong to you whether
we are alive or dead. As you have
compassion on me may I too have compassion on all who are in need. Resentment and anger are foul things. God's will is never worked in anger. I
forgive others the little debt they may owe me as you have forgiven me the
enormity of my sins. Lord of mercy, during
my life I will reverence your sacrament of reconciliation as the prodigal
reverenced the embrace of his father. Father
in heaven, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against
us. Bring to life all those who have died in Christ.
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