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<v Speaker 1>The name of the Father, and some of the Holy Spirit,

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<v Speaker 1>glory to Jesus Christ. In today's Gospel, our Lord gives

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<v Speaker 1>us one of the most striking parables in all of Scripture,

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<v Speaker 1>the parable of the unforgiving servant. In the Gospel Today,

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<v Speaker 1>a king calls his servants to account, and one is

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<v Speaker 1>brought before him, who owes ten thousand talents. Now, that

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<v Speaker 1>amount is almost impossible to comprehend. Even the most conservative

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<v Speaker 1>estimates who have tried to translate that to a figure today,

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<v Speaker 1>tells us that ten thousand talents today would be billions

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<v Speaker 1>of dollars. And the Lord's point in this parable is

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<v Speaker 1>very simple. This debt is so enormous that there's absolutely

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<v Speaker 1>no possibility of repayment. It is hopeless. And yet when

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<v Speaker 1>the servant falls to the ground and begs for mercy,

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<v Speaker 1>the king does something astonishing. He does not merely grant

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<v Speaker 1>him more time to pay. He doesn't give him a

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<v Speaker 1>plan to pay. He doesn't reduce the debt to a

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<v Speaker 1>payable amount. Instead, he forgives it entirely, every penny or

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<v Speaker 1>every denari. The fathers tell us that this immense debt

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<v Speaker 1>represents our sins before God, as saint Augustine notes the

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<v Speaker 1>ten thousand talents signify the countless ways in which man

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<v Speaker 1>transgress us is God's commandments. Every day we stand before

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<v Speaker 1>God unable to repay what we owe. We cannot undo

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<v Speaker 1>our sins, we cannot earn our salvation, we can't balance

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<v Speaker 1>out the scales of debt through our own efforts. Yet

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<v Speaker 1>the mercy, the measure of God's mercy, is greater than

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<v Speaker 1>the measure of our sin. Saint John Christystem marvels at

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<v Speaker 1>this generosity. The servant only asked for patience, but he

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<v Speaker 1>received a complete remission. He asked for time, and he

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<v Speaker 1>was given forgiveness. Such is the love of God. He's

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<v Speaker 1>always more ready to forgive than we are to ask.

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<v Speaker 1>This is beautiful and reassuring to all of us who struggle.

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<v Speaker 1>What a loving and merciful God we have. But this

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<v Speaker 1>is only the first half of the parable, because the

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<v Speaker 1>forgiven servant then immediately encounters a fellow servant who owes

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<v Speaker 1>him a hundred dinari. And this is nothing, but compared

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<v Speaker 1>to ten thousand talents, it's insignificant. But instead of showing

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<v Speaker 1>the same mercy that he himself had just received, he

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<v Speaker 1>grabs a man by the throat, and he demands payment.

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<v Speaker 1>The very one who had been forgiven an unimaginable debt

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<v Speaker 1>refuses to forgive a comparatively tiny one. And this is

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<v Speaker 1>where the Gospel starts being a story about someone else,

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<v Speaker 1>and it becomes a story about us. The obvious question

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<v Speaker 1>is how do we respond when others offend us or

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<v Speaker 1>transgress against us. Every one of us has been hurt

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<v Speaker 1>by somebody else. Every one of us has experienced insults, betrayal, slander, disappointment,

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<v Speaker 1>broken promises, even just unkind words. And some wounds are

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<v Speaker 1>small and some cut very deep. Yet Christ teaches us

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<v Speaker 1>that no matter how great the injury may be, it

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<v Speaker 1>is still small compared to what God has forgiven us.

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<v Speaker 1>And there's another lesson here that is perhaps less obvious.

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<v Speaker 1>Noticed the attitude of the first servant when he stood

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<v Speaker 1>before the king. He fell down, He humbled himself, He

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<v Speaker 1>confessed his helpless condition, and he acknowledged his debt. Before

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<v Speaker 1>he ever received forgiveness, he recognized his own need for mercy.

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<v Speaker 1>Saint John Christen says that Christ requires two things from us,

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<v Speaker 1>First that we condemn our own sins, and second that

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<v Speaker 1>we forgive others theirs. The first is meant to make

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<v Speaker 1>the second one easier. The man who remembers his own

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<v Speaker 1>failures becomes more patient with the failures of others. The

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<v Speaker 1>man who remembers how often he has been forgiven becomes

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<v Speaker 1>more willing to forgive. When we can remember our own plight,

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<v Speaker 1>face down before the Almighty God, begging the remission of

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<v Speaker 1>our own sins, it becomes much harder to condemn the

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<v Speaker 1>one who has offended us. And this is why genuine

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<v Speaker 1>repentance and genuine forgiveness always go together. A person who's

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<v Speaker 1>constantly examining his own soul finds it difficult to remain

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<v Speaker 1>harsh towards a neighbor. But a person who forgets his

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<v Speaker 1>own sin quickly becomes a severe judge of everybody else's.

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<v Speaker 1>The saint doesn't think, look how terrible everyone else is.

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<v Speaker 1>The saint thinks, Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner,

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<v Speaker 1>and from that humility springs our own mercy. Yeah, the

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<v Speaker 1>Lord goes even further. He does not merely say that

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<v Speaker 1>we must forgive. He says we must forgive from our hearts.

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<v Speaker 1>And this is a rightening phrase, because we all know

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<v Speaker 1>how to forgive with our lips. We can say the words.

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<v Speaker 1>We can maintain outward civility when we pass in the halls,

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<v Speaker 1>we can avoid arguments, but deep within we may still

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<v Speaker 1>rehearse in our mind the old wounds, the old grievances,

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<v Speaker 1>the old injuries, and nurture those old resentments, because Christ

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<v Speaker 1>is asking from us something much deeper than just external politeness.

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<v Speaker 1>Blessed the all Flack says, he wants us to forgive

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<v Speaker 1>from our hearts and not only from our lips. Understanding

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<v Speaker 1>what a great evil is remembrance of wrongs, since it

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<v Speaker 1>revokes the gift of God. The real danger is not

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<v Speaker 1>merely anger. The real danger is keeping anger. It's the

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<v Speaker 1>deliberate preservation of the old wounds. Listen to Saint John

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<v Speaker 1>Crusistm's warning. He says that when we refuse to forgive,

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<v Speaker 1>we thrust the sword into ourselves. The person who injured

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<v Speaker 1>us may have caused pain, but we continue that suffering

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<v Speaker 1>when we nourish that resentment. The offender may have struck once,

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<v Speaker 1>but our bitterness wounds us every single day as we

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<v Speaker 1>hold on to it, and the devil delights in convincing

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<v Speaker 1>us that holding a grudge is a form of justice.

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<v Speaker 1>We often even excuse our own unwillingness to forgive as

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<v Speaker 1>part of God's justice, or is necessary for the rehabilitation

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<v Speaker 1>of another. I can't forgive him until he's really made

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<v Speaker 1>a change. But in reality, it's just a prison for

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<v Speaker 1>our own soul. How so, you might ask, well, John

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<v Speaker 1>Grisassum says that those who wrong us can become occasions

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<v Speaker 1>for our salvation. Every insult gives us an opportunity for patients,

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<v Speaker 1>every offense an opportunity for mercy, and every injury chance

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<v Speaker 1>to immtite Christ himself, who prayed for his enemies even

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<v Speaker 1>as they crucified him. This doesn't mean that pretending evil

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<v Speaker 1>never that pretending This doesn't mean pretending that evil never happened.

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<v Speaker 1>It doesn't mean a proving sin. It doesn't mean abandoning

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<v Speaker 1>our own discernment. But what it means is we surrender

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<v Speaker 1>our claim to vengeance and place the judgment into the

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<v Speaker 1>hands of God. We forgive because we ourselves have been forgiven.

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<v Speaker 1>Brothers and sisters. As we stand here again before the

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<v Speaker 1>Holy altar, let us remember the servant's posture before the king.

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<v Speaker 1>Let us fall down before God with humility. Let us

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<v Speaker 1>examine our consciences honestly and let us confess our sins

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<v Speaker 1>and seek his mercy. And when we have received that mercy,

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<v Speaker 1>then we are called to extend it to others. And

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<v Speaker 1>that forgiveness will not be merely with our lips, but

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<v Speaker 1>it must be from our hearts. Let Us put away

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<v Speaker 1>remembrance of wrongs. Let us release old grudges and old resentments.

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<v Speaker 1>Let us show to those who have sinned against us

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<v Speaker 1>the same compassion that we beg the Lord to show

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<v Speaker 1>to us. For we're all debtors before a merciful King,

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<v Speaker 1>and the measure of our forgiveness towards others reveals whether

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<v Speaker 1>we truly understand the forgiveness that we ourselves have received.

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<v Speaker 1>So may the Lord grant us repentant hearts, merciful hearts,

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<v Speaker 1>and forgiving hearts, and may we receive the abundant mercy

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<v Speaker 1>of the King who forgives debts beyond all measure. In

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<v Speaker 1>the name of the Father and the Son the Holy Spirit,

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<v Speaker 1>a man glory to Jesus Christ.