Deacon Tom Anthony

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 130

Reading 1 Sir 27:30—28:7

Wrath and anger are hateful things,
yet the sinner hugs them tight.
The vengeful will suffer the LORD's vengeance,
for he remembers their sins in detail.
Forgive your neighbor's injustice;
then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.
Could anyone nourish anger against another
and expect healing from the LORD?
Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself,
can he seek pardon for his own sins?
If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath,
who will forgive his sins?
Remember your last days, set enmity aside;
remember death and decay, and cease from sin!
Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor;
remember the Most High's covenant, and overlook faults.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12

R. (8) The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful; slow to anger, and rich in compassion.
He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful; slow to anger, and rich in compassion.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

Reading 2 Rom 14:7-9

Brothers and sisters:
None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.
For if we live, we live for the Lord,
and if we die, we die for the Lord;
so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
For this is why Christ died and came to life,
that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Alleluia Jn 13:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I give you a new commandment, says the Lord;
love one another as I have loved you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 18:21-35

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.
That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.'
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
'Pay back what you owe.'
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
But he refused.
Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?'
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart."

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS

 Society loves wrath and anger. I tend to call it, “The Kim Kardashian Effect.” The more drama the better for so many people. Each situation, regardless of what it is, is blown out of proportion and extreme emotion is encouraged. This leads to emotional outbursts and confrontational attitudes. Chaos ensues where the propensity of violence is sought after. We are constantly fed encouragement to actually act against what our conscious is telling us to do. If we are not solid in our Christian Faith then we can easily be lured into this trap with drastic results. Our lives become uncontrolled emotion where erratic behavior can take command, beckoning us to do the most negative things which will then ultimately hurt us.

Jesus Christ wants to heal us. He wants to love us completely and encourages us to live a fruitful life with Him as the foundation. There is opposition to this. Satan beckons us to dismiss the Love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in exchange for a much easier route. Satan wants us to rage and lash out at those we feel are trying to undermine our free will and hunger to be fulfilled by all that is material and satisfying for the moment. We cannot give into this mindset. There is so much more to this life than living in the moment. The obstacles that we face are nothing more than mere inconveniences that prevent us from reaching the ultimate truth which is that Jesus Christ is our savior and He loves us completely. We cannot be healed unless we let the physician do His work.

As Christians, we are encouraged to recognize our own faults and sins. These are then placed before us so that we may validate them. Afterwards, these things are taken and destroyed by God. Nothing remains from that which caused us so much pain and desolation. God loves us and He wants us to experience the joy of living with Him. Whatever we have done and whatever we will ever do is already forgiven through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. From a man that it takes a lifetime or more to know come the keys to our living a complete existence of love and satisfaction. We will never be satisfied with what this world offers but only be tempted to consume more of what will stimulate us but never bring us to fulfillment. Fulfillment only comes through Jesus Christ.

The beginning of our journey to Jesus always starts with forgiveness. First and foremost, we are told and encouraged to believe that all we have done wrong is forgiven. Beyond that, we are then presented with a new way of thinking: Jesus forgives us completely without any preconditions except that we must forgive those who have wronged us the same way. To many, especially those who do not follow Jesus, this seems outrageous. Society tells us that we must react negatively to those who oppose us, fighting whatever challenge we encounter with as much force and power that we can muster. All the while, Jesus asks us why we should do this. If He has already forgiven us for our own fault and transgressions without an preconditions, why should we not do the same? Anything beyond would be entirely hypocritical.

That which is freely given to us, forgiveness and redemption, must be given to those who hurt us. This is not a prerequisite but more as an obligation for us being Christian. Without forgiveness there is no love. Without love there is not Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Without the Passion there is no salvation. We are commissioned to act the way Jesus acts: He loves us completely and would give anything for us to receive Him into our lives. As Christian, we too are asked to be the presence of Jesus Christ in other people’s live. Why would we ever refrain from giving to other people what we hold so dear. If we do refrain, then we are hypocrites. If we are hypocrites, then we will suffer the consequences.

This way of life might be very challenging yet the challenge is worth the reward. Love, satisfaction, and joy through Jesus Christ.

Deacon Tom