3rd TUESDAY OF LENT - Gospel (Matthew 18:21-35) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- Mar 12
- 5 min read
FIRST READING - Dan 3:25, 34-43
"But with contrite heart and humble spirit let us be received."
A reading from the Book of Daniel
25 Azariah[a] stood up in the midst of the fire and prayed aloud:
34 For your name’s sake, do not deliver us up forever
or make void your covenant.
35 Do not take away your mercy from us,
for the sake of Abraham, your beloved,
Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one,
36 To whom you promised to multiply their offspring
like the stars of heaven,
or the sand on the shore of the sea.
37 For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation,
brought low everywhere in the world this day
because of our sins.
38 We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader,
no burnt offering, sacrifice, oblation, or incense,
no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you.
39 But with contrite heart and humble spirit
let us be received;
As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bulls,
or tens of thousands of fat lambs,
40 So let our sacrifice be in your presence today
and find favor before you;
for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame.
41 And now we follow you with our whole heart,
we fear you and we seek your face.
Do not put us to shame,
42 but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.
43 Deliver us in accord with your wonders,
and bring glory to your name, O Lord:
GOSPEL OF THE DAY -
"So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart."
From the Gospel according to Matthew
21 Then Peter approaching asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 [a]Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. 23 That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. 24 [b]When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. 25 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. 26 [c]At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ 27 Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. 28 When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount.[d] He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ 29 Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. 31 Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. 32 His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. 33 Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ 34 Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.[e] 35 [f]So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”
3rd TUESDAY OF LENT - Gospel (Matthew 18:21-35)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear people of God,
Today's Word of God tells humanity that “If you do not wholeheartedly forgive your brothers, then God will also not forgive you.”
That is a precious lesson that people must live by if they wish to enter the Kingdom of God.
Today's Word of God shows humanity that human forgiveness for one another always has limits, while God's forgiveness for humanity has no limits.
The proof of this is when Peter asked Jesus: “When my brother sins against me, must I forgive him seven times?”
But Jesus replied: “I do not tell you to forgive seven times, but seventy times seven.”
The number seventy times seven is a number without limits, meaning one must always forgive, forgive ceaselessly.
Today's Word of God also reveals the image of the Kingdom of Heaven: when a man owed the king ten thousand talents of gold.
He had nothing to pay, so he pleaded and implored the king's mercy for an extension of time to repay the entire debt.
The king was moved with compassion and mercifully forgave him that entire debt.
But when the debtor left, he did not forgive a fellow servant who owed him only one hundred denarii; he seized him by the throat and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt.
The behavior of a powerful king towards his debtor was merciful, forgiving; whereas the behavior between humans was to treat each other terribly.
Through this, it is shown that God always loves and forgives humanity for countless sins.
Although humanity has offended God greatly, He still generously forgives when people sincerely repent, come pleading, and earnestly ask God for forgiveness.
But among humans, for just a small offense, people resort to killing, hatred, division, unforgiveness, swearing: “This hatred will live in my heart and go with me to my grave. It cannot be forgiven!”
Souls who live like this are falling into Satan's trap and will belong to Satan.
Today's Word of God warns the disciples as well as all who wish to enter the Kingdom of God that they must know how to forgive their fellow human beings with an unlimited forgiveness, and must not allow their hearts to harbor hatred, jealousy, or division, because in the Kingdom of Heaven there is no hatred, only love.
It is precisely the love with which God has loved humanity that He also wants people to show to one another; only then are they worthy to enter and enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven.
Today's Word of God also teaches humanity how to forgive their fellow human beings: fear God above all things, and look at how God has loved and forgiven the sins of humanity, and then, in the same way, humans must also know how to love and forgive the sins of their fellow human beings.
When someone knows how to love and forgive their fellow beings as the Word of God instructs, then they will be forgiven their sins by God and will enter and enjoy the happiness of Heaven with God the Father.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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