Tenth Thursday of Ordinary Time

Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.

Holding onto grudges is never healthy. Even if we think we are right and the other person is wrong, we should seek a way to settle our differences. Even if we feel unjustly persecuted, we should seek to make peace with them. Jesus did not seek apologies from those who sinned against God and him. He could have been mad at his persecutors when they beat him, denied him, and crucified him. But instead he asked His Father, Our Father, to forgive them for they knew not what they we doing. Sometimes the people who are mad at us don’t know what they are doing either and we should make every attempt to reconcile with them. Jesus could have been angry with his disciples when they fled from him, but he forgave them, gave them the Holy Spirit, and sent them out into the world to spread his Good News. If Jesus can forgive his persecutors and disciples, then who are we to withhold forgiveness to others?

Who are we holding grudges against? Who is holding a grudge against us? How can we settle our differences in a way that is healing for everyone?

O Lord, help us to forgive those who trespass against us and seek forgiveness for our own transgressions.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle

Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.

Jesus tells us in today’s gospel that we need to be willing to settle our differences with others. This can only be done by seeking forgiveness for our own transgressions and forgiving others their transgressions against us. If we go to the Final Judgment with sins on our hands or without any acts of mercy to show God, then we should expect to reap what we've sown. If all we sow is blame or condemnation, then that is what we will deserve when the end comes. So let us make peace with our enemies and show mercy to those who transgress against us. Only then will we be able to come to God with a clean conscience and be rewarded with the consoling gift of Heaven.

Who are the people we are holding grudges against? Who do we complain about? How can we settle accounts with them in a forgiving and merciful way?

O Lord, let us come before you with clean consciences and merciful hearts.

Amen.