Epistle: 1 Cor 9: 2-12
Gospel: Matt 18:23-35
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Our Lord said that the two Great Commandments, Love God and Love your neighbor, were a summation of the Law of Moses. We could also say that the Ten Commandments is a slightly longer summation of the Law.
They are summations of the Old Covenant (although they still apply to us today, don’t they).
But we live under the New Covenant, and the Beatitudes is often considered a summation of that Law. And at the very center of the Beatitudes, what do we find? Blessed are the Merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Today’s Gospel is an illustration of what happens when we don’t follow that simple precept, of being merciful.
The servant in the story is parable is forgiven a very large debt. He then turns around and sends another servant to jail for not paying him a much smaller amount. He is forgiven a million dollars, and won’t forgive a ten dollar debt.
How does the master respond? He withdraws the mercy, throws the servant in jail, and tells him he won’t get out until he pays off the entire debt.
God has forgiven us so much – He’s forgiven us EVERYTHING. And what does He expect of us? Mercy towards others. And, if we don’t? They’ll be Hell (or maybe Purgatory) to pay!
But mercy doesn’t just include forgiving others.
The Church gives us, as guidelines, seven Corporal Works and seven Spiritual Works of Mercy.
The Corporal works are
• Feed the hungry
• Give water to the thirsty
• Cloth the naked
• Shelter the homeless
• Visit the sick
• Visit the imprisoned
• Bury the dead
Now, the government does some of these in our name. But we also do some ourselves. Our parish has a wonderful ministry visiting the sick, and periodically, we have collections for a food pantry. And, of course, the law requires burying the dead.
But, beyond visiting the sick of the parish, how many of us will visit a nursing home, or a jail? I know that, personally, I have fallen short.
The Spiritual Works of Mercy are
• Admonishing the sinner
• Teaching the ignorant
• Counsel the doubtful
• Comfort the sorrowful
• Bear wrongs patiently
• Forgive all injuries
• Pray for the living and the dead.
These tend to be more difficult.
Admonish the sinner : Sin is more widespread in our society than in the past, and the response is often that, if we tell someone that their action is a sin, we’re accused of judging them. But, we aren’t the judge – God is If we advise that an action is sinful, and that God’s reaction will be negative, it’s not judging. Love and mercy demand that we warn the sinner of the consequences.
Instruct the ignorant – Our Lord tells us that the Truth will set us free. How can it set us free if we don’t know it?
Counsel the doubtful – again, it’s an attempt to lovingly show someone the right path.
Bear wrongs patiently – isn’t that what our Lord did when He said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”?
Forgive all injuries – remember the Lord’s prayer? Forgive us out trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us?
Pray for the living and the dead – this should be an easy one. Think of the millions of souls in Purgatory for whom nobody is praying, souls that cannot pray for themselves. They need our prayers more than ever.
My brothers and sisters, I know I need God’s mercy. And, I suspect that, if you’ll be honest with yourself, you’ll admit you need it too.
As you go through this week, look to see where you can show mercy. Remember, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Glory be to Jesus Christ!
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