‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Matthew 18:26
Reflection
Peter asks Jesus how many times he must forgive his brother. Jesus replies not only seven times, but seventy-seven times. He then relays a parable about a king who requires a servant’s debt to be paid. The servant cannot pay it, so the king has mercy on him. Soon, that servant goes to another man who owes him a debt and demands the debt paid. When the king learns of this, he throws the bad servant to the torturers.
Forgiveness can be difficult. Patience can also be difficult. Not only does the king initially practice forgiveness with the bad servant, but also patience, for the servant promises to pay the king back. Even though the servant ends up doing evil things, the king was patient. Are we the same?
Exercising patience and forgiveness with someone who might not deserve it can be extremely difficult, yet Christ asks us to grow in these virtues. When we are patient, we can become more loving towards our fellow man and learn to forgive more easily. Reflect on your patience and forgiveness. Are they easy or hard to come by? Ask the Holy Spirit for an increase in both.
Saint of the Day
Blessed Michael J. McGivney: 1852 – 1890
| “Father McGivney, though a man of unassuming character, was possessed of an indomitable will, by which, aided by the grace of God, he was able to face unkind and unjust criticism from all directions in his great effort to found a society for the benefit of young men and the glory of the church.” Fr. Slocum about Fr. McGivney |
The Healing Word 