14-08-2014 Gospel of the Day Matthew 18 21. Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22. Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 23. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took [him] by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34. And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. Matthew 19 1. And it came to pass, [that] when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan; Commentary on the Gospel forgive to be forgiven The Gospel parable aimed to debunk the intransigence of certain leaders of the early Christian community, too severe, when it came to forgive the faults of others. Perhaps, the counterpoint of this attitude were an indulgence of their sins, for which closed their eyes. Such leaders are compared with the soulless servant who, having been forgiven an incalculable debt, shows up without compassion for the fellow servant who owed him a paltry sum. The exaggerated amount that the first servant owed - ten thousand talents - emphasizes that, for most it was the forgiveness granted to defaulting members would always be less than the forgiveness that God gave to the leadership of the community. Ultimately, the pardon should correspond to a gesture of recognition for the forgiveness received from God. The king in the parable was inclement with servo unable to be merciful, as it had been for first object of mercy. The lesson is clear. Who does not forgive will not be forgiven. Who does not correspond to the mercy of God, being merciful to his neighbor, receive divine punishment. Who does not show to the next the same patience he received from God, will be the victim of divine wrath. So, who knows infinitely forgiven, has an obligation to always be willing to forgive. You can not put limits to the willingness to forgive. The Gospel today is the last stretch of discourse on the Church. To the question of Peter, spokesperson of the group of disciples, about how many times one should forgive the defaulter brother in his sin, Jesus responds with the parable of the unforgiving debtor or without compassion. Peter certainly thinks being generous to indicate the figure seven as number of times to forgive someone. But correcting Peter, Jesus says seventy times seven. This means that you can not put limits to the willingness to forgive. The numbers seven and seventy times seven evoke Gen. 4.24. In the chain of revenge and violence, Jesus opposes fraternity willing to forgive without limit. The reason why you should not put limits to forgiveness is given in the parable of the debtor without compassion. The sense of the whole parable is in the mouth of the monarch himself (vv 32-33.): The debtor of an incalculable sum should forgive his neighbor, who owed him a paltry sum, because he himself had been benefited by the generosity of the king. In a way, the servant mercilessly hurt his master, for his ruthless attitude toward his fellow demonstrates his complete misunderstanding regarding the same grace he received. The lesson is clear: You must forgive your brother from the heart, God forgives generously to each. Ezekiel 12 1. The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying, 2. Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they [are] a rebellious house. 3. Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they [be] a rebellious house. 4. Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity. 5. Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby. 6. In their sight shalt thou bear [it] upon [thy] shoulders, [and] carry [it] forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee [for] a sign unto the house of Israel. 7. And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought [it] forth in the twilight, [and] I bare [it] upon [my] shoulder in their sight. 8. And in the morning came the word of the LORD unto me, saying, 9. Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou? 10. Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; This burden [concerneth] the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that [are] among them. 11. Say, I [am] your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove [and] go into captivity. 12. And the prince that [is] among them shall bear upon [his] shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with [his] eyes. Psalms 78 1. Give ear, O my people, [to] my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: 3. Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. 4. We will not hide [them] from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. 5. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: 6. That the generation to come might know [them, even] the children [which] should be born; [who] should arise and declare [them] to their children: 7. That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: 8. And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation [that] set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God. 9. The children of Ephraim, [being] armed, [and] carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. 10. They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law; 11. And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them. 12. Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, [in] the field of Zoan. 13. He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap. 14. In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire. 15. He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave [them] drink as [out of] the great depths. 16. He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers. 17. And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness. 18. And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust. 19. Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? 20. Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people? 21. Therefore the LORD heard [this], and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; 22. Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation: 23. Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, 24. And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. 25. Man did eat angels food: he sent them meat to the full. 26. He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind. 27. He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea: 28. And he let [it] fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations. 29. So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire; 30. They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat [was] yet in their mouths, 31. The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen [men] of Israel. 32. For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works. 33. Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble. 34. When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God. 35. And they remembered that God [was] their rock, and the high God their redeemer. 36. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. 37. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant. 38. But he, [being] full of compassion, forgave [their] iniquity, and destroyed [them] not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. 39. For he remembered that they [were but] flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. 40. How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, [and] grieve him in the desert! 41. Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. 42. They remembered not his hand, [nor] the day when he delivered them from the enemy. 43. How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan: 44. And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink. 45. He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them. 46. He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust. 47. He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost. 48. He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts. 49. He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels [among them]. 50. He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence; 51. And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of [their] strength in the tabernacles of Ham: 52. But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. 53. And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. 54. And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, [even to] this mountain, [which] his right hand had purchased. 55. He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents. 56. Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies: 57. But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow. 58. For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images. 59. When God heard [this], he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel: 60. So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent [which] he placed among men; 61. And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemys hand. 62. He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance. 63. The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage. 64. Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation. 65. Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, [and] like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine. 66. And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach. 67. Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim: 68. But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved. 69. And he built his sanctuary like high [palaces], like the earth which he hath established for ever. 70. He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds: 71. From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance. 72. So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 02:00:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015