Entrusting Justice to God

HOMILY: Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 18:21-35

17 September 2023

Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA

Sometimes, when I do marriage counselling, I would ask couples if there was any marital problem that could completely destroy their marriage beyond repair. They say infidelity. It is after all, such a painful betrayal of trust. And yet, some women (or men) manage to forgive their spouses who had extra-marital affairs, even if they are repeat-offenders! Society is quick to brand them as martyrs, in a derisive, not admiring manner. There are children who have been neglected and abused all their life by either mother or father but when their parents are old and sickly, they still find it in their hearts to care for them and let them live out their final years comfortably and with dignity. When asked why they do it, they say with humility, “Of course, he’s still my father.” or “No matter what happens, she’s still my mother.” (“Siyempre, tatay ko pa rin siya.” or “Kahit anong mangyari, nanay ko pa din siya.”) If you were that spouse or that child, could you do the same? Could you find it in you to forgive such grave, repeated offenses? I myself, am not sure how I will react if I was in that situation. Our ego will tell us we are being foolish. Logic will tell us we have lost our mind. And yet, this is the kind of forgiveness asked of all of us God’s children. 

To forgive, truly forgive, from the heart is perhaps one of the hardest acts for us to do as Christians. Thus, Peter’s query comes from someone who has been hurt repeatedly: “Lord if my brother or sister sins against me, how often must I forgive…?” (Matthew 18:21) In the Gospel today, Jesus asks us to forgive those who sin against us, “not only seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:22) To illustrate this point, Jesus relates the story of the man, whose debt is forgiven by the master. However, to those who owed him, he did not have the same leniency. He did not make allowances nor due considerations. Unlike the master, he did not open his heart to forgive them. Because of this, the master called him back and reversed his favourable decision. 

The king’s steward in today’s gospel certainly shows us the two-sided coin that is forgiveness. The steward was quick to ask for forgiveness but slow and pretty stingy to give the same to those who ask for it from him. Somehow, it is rather easier to ask for forgiveness but many of us find it difficult to forgive. But isn’t this what we explicitly pray for in the Lord’s Prayer? We ask God: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” (Matthew 6:12) Similarly, St. Paul in the Second Reading hints at the reason why forgiveness should be an important aspect in the life of the Christian community. “None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.” (Romans 14:7) Our relationship with each other is a mirror of our relationship with God.  

Going back to the story of the martyred wife  (or husband) and the abused and neglected children, few would think ill of them if the wife left her husband (or the husband left his wife) or if the children abandoned their abusive parent, right? Yet, what is noteworthy of their actions is the fact that they do not take justice into their own hands. They do not see themselves taking revenge or being the judge and the punisher. People who really have faith in God and are completely dependent on Him trust in His divine justice. “I will leave justice to God.”  (“Diyos na ang bahala sa kanila.”) It is an acknowledgment of our own sinfulness and imperfection. We each have our own sins against God to make amends for. Who are we to judge each other? Who are we to assume the gravity of the offence when we are not the offended party, but God? Jesus concludes His teaching in today’s gospel passage by emphasising the need to show mercy to others so we ourselves may be afforded mercy by our merciful God… “So shall the Heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother or sister from your heart.”  (Matthew 18:35) God is unquestionably generous in mercy to those who seek His forgiveness. Because we receive of this forgiveness, it is only right that we also dispense forgiveness to those who ask of it from us. 

Furthermore, in the First Reading (Sirach 27:30-28:7), we are told that there may be some situations in life where we may experience wrath and anger but we should not allow these harmful attitudes to be permanent dispositions of our minds and hearts. We have to be willing to let go of them for the sake of our inner peace. These negative sentiments can eat up the life away from us and can dampen our spirits. Life is too short for us to enjoy by harbouring resentfulness, vindictiveness and unresolved frustration. Let us forgive then so as not to be a prisoner of our anger, resentment and vindictiveness.   

Admittedly, forgiveness from the heart is not easy for us. This human condition puts into perspective Jesus’ response to Peter’s question on how often we must forgive our erring brother or sister. Sometimes, it may take time to forgive completely, but the first step towards healing is to be deliberate about wanting to forgive and to acknowledge our own flaws. We all have someone in our lives that we need to forgive or to ask forgiveness from. Let us be generous with our mercy and leave justice to God. Above all, let us be merciful because God has been merciful to us.