Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.”

There is no limit to God’s Divine Mercy and there should be no limit for us as well. When we sin against God, we create a debt we could never repay. Recognizing this, God sent into the world His Beloved Son, to be a sin offering sacrificed once and for all time for all people and all sins. This single act of self sacrifice is the only one which could pay the debt we all owe as sinners. The models of Jesus’ Life, Passion, and Death are ones God wants us to imitate in our own lives so we might manifest God’s Love and Mercy more fully. This is why Christ tells Peter he must forgive seventy-seven times... an amount which speaks to the limitless mercy God wants us all to have for others.

Are we willing to be forgiving of those who have sinned against us, especially our enemies? How can we become more merciful in our dealings with others? In what ways can we manifest God’s limitless forgiveness to others?

O Lord, help us to be fonts of your mercy and forgiveness.

Amen.