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Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A), Sirach 27:30-28:9.

The Book of Sirach dates from the second century B.C. It is a sort of handbook of practical ethics and consists of short collections of maxims or proverbs concerned with various aspects of human behavior. Until the late 19th. century, only the Greek text of this book was known, and so it was not accepted as being inspired in the Hebrew or Protestant bible.

Sirach was written to counteract the effects of the pagan Hellenistic culture that was making its influence felt in second century B.C. Palestine. It was also much used as a guide for moral education in the early Christian Church, to the extent that it became known by another title among Christians: Ecclesiasticus or "the church book." Even today, Sirach or Ecclesiasticus is the Old Testament book that is most frequently quoted in the Christian liturgy, second only to the psalms.

This Sunday's reading from Sirach was chosen to serve as a commentary on Jesus' teaching about forgiveness that we hear in the gospel parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35). The overture reading consists of a series of aphorisms that deal with the contrast between vengeance, anger, and hatred on one hand and forgiveness, pardon, and mercy on the other. In several different ways the author teaches that hostility toward our neighbor is destructive and that forgiveness brings blessing.

The first sentence of the reading is a kind of general introduction: Vengeance and anger are things that sinners like to hang on to.

Next come two verses about outcomes: If you are vengeful you will experience the Lord's vengeance; if you forgive you will be forgiven.

Now come three questions, each making more or less the same point: How can you expect God to forgive you if you refuse mercy and harbor anger toward another?

Finally two verses about remembering: Remember the judgment that lies ahead of you; remember God's commands and forgive.

In all these different ways God's word tells us the same thing here: God expects us to be merciful, to forgive whatever wrong our neighbor may have done to us. This is the same lesson Jesus teaches Peter ("not seven times but 77 times") and then illustrates with the parable of the unforgiving servant. Jesus also gives us this teaching in the prayer He taught us to pray: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." If we expect to be forgiven, we must forgive. There are several important elements in all this.

First of all, we all need forgiveness. There is not one of us who can say that we have carried out to the letter all the directions that God has given us. Not one of us can say that we deserve God's love because of our own virtue and goodness. No, we are all sinners, and we all need to be forgiven.

But why do we have to forgive our neighbor? Couldn't we just deal with God on our own and leave our neighbor out of it? That's not the way God intended things to work. God wants us to be holy, and being holy means being like God, and God's nature is a forgiving nature. So if we are going to be what God wants us to be we have to be like God, merciful and forgiving.

There are two more fundamental elements that we need to be aware of in this context of forgiving our neighbor. The first is that forgiveness does not mean pretending that nothing happened, that there are no wounds that need to heal, no reparation to be made by the person who has offended us. Forgiveness doesn't mean simply forgetting about the offense. Rather, forgiveness means loving the person in spite of the offense that was done to us. It means acknowledging that the offender is precious to the Lord, and for that reason has to be precious to us. Forgiveness means wanting and doing good to the person who may have done bad to us.

The other fundamental element in forgiveness is that God does not forgive because the sinner deserves forgiveness. God forgives simply because God is a forgiving God. It must be the same with us. We are not called to forgive (to love "in spite of") because the offender deserves forgiveness, but because God calls us to forgive, to express His love even to those who may not deserve that love.

Forgiving is not particularly easy. But it is always important for those who want to be like God.

For reflection and discussion

Do I find it easy to forgive?

How and when have I been forgiven?



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	*Overtures* Reflection on the first readings of the Sunday liturgy By Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk Lessons in forgiveness Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A),** Sirach 27:30-28:9. The Book of Sirach dates from the second century B.C. It is a sort of handbook of practical ethics and consists of short collections of maxims or proverbs concerned with various aspects of human behavior. Until the late 19th. century, only the Greek text of this book was known, and so it was not accepted as being inspired in the Hebrew or Protestant bible. Sirach was written to counteract the effects of the pagan Hellenistic culture that was making its influence felt in second century B.C. Palestine. It was also much used as a guide for moral education in the early Christian Church, to the extent that it became known by another title among Christians: Ecclesiasticus or "the church book." Even today, Sirach or Ecclesiasticus is the Old Testament book that is most frequently quoted in the Christian liturgy, second only to the psalms. This Sunday's reading from Sirach was chosen to serve as a commentary on Jesus' teaching about forgiveness that we hear in the gospel parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35). The overture reading consists of a series of aphorisms that deal with the contrast between vengeance, anger, and hatred on one hand and forgiveness, pardon, and mercy on the other. In several different ways the author teaches that hostility toward our neighbor is destructive and that forgiveness brings blessing. The first sentence of the reading is a kind of general introduction: Vengeance and anger are things that sinners like to hang on to. Next come two verses about outcomes: If you are vengeful you will experience the Lord's vengeance; if you forgive you will be forgiven. Now come three questions, each making more or less the same point: How can you expect God to forgive you if you refuse mercy and harbor anger toward another? Finally two verses about remembering: Remember the judgment that lies ahead of you; remember God's commands and forgive. In all these different ways God's word tells us the same thing here: God expects us to be merciful, to forgive whatever wrong our neighbor may have done to us. This is the same lesson Jesus teaches Peter ("not seven times but 77 times") and then illustrates with the parable of the unforgiving servant. Jesus also gives us this teaching in the prayer He taught us to pray: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." If we expect to be forgiven, we must forgive. There are several important elements in all this. First of all, we all need forgiveness. There is not one of us who can say that we have carried out to the letter all the directions that God has given us. Not one of us can say that we deserve God's love because of our own virtue and goodness. No, we are all sinners, and we all need to be forgiven. But why do we have to forgive our neighbor? Couldn't we just deal with God on our own and leave our neighbor out of it? That's not the way God intended things to work. God wants us to be holy, and being holy means being like God, and God's nature is a forgiving nature. So if we are going to be what God wants us to be we have to be like God, merciful and forgiving. There are two more fundamental elements that we need to be aware of in this context of forgiving our neighbor. The first is that forgiveness does not mean pretending that nothing happened, that there are no wounds that need to heal, no reparation to be made by the person who has offended us. Forgiveness doesn't mean simply forgetting about the offense. Rather, forgiveness means loving the person in spite of the offense that was done to us. It means acknowledging that the offender is precious to the Lord, and for that reason has to be precious to us. Forgiveness means wanting and doing good to the person who may have done bad to us. The other fundamental element in forgiveness is that God does not forgive because the sinner deserves forgiveness. God forgives simply because God is a forgiving God. It must be the same with us. We are not called to forgive (to love "in spite of") because the offender deserves forgiveness, but because God calls us to forgive, to express His love even to those who may not deserve that love. Forgiving is not particularly easy. But it is always important for those who want to be like God. For reflection and discussion Do I find it easy to forgive? How and when have I been forgiven?

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