The Gospel For Tuesday, the third week of Lent is taken from St. Matthew 18:21:35. Peter approached Jesus and asked him, lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times. Jesus answered, I say to you, not seven times, but 77 times. That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants.

When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold along with his wife, his children, and his property in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full. Moved with compassion, the master of the servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When the servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him, started to choke him, demanding, pay back what you owe.

Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, be patient with me and I will pay you back. But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now, when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, you wicked servant, I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant as I had pity on you?

Then, in anger, his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart. In our relationship with God, it seems to me it all begins when you understand who he is and who he is for us. This God loves, cares for us, longs for nothing more than we grow and change and evolve. That’s his compassionate heart. And when one is not touched by that, if one does not feel that compassion, one cannot understand the demand from the gospel that we must always be people filled with forgiveness.

This man that’s in this story is not touched by the kindness of God. He doesn’t feel it as a compassionate act, just as something that helped him out, that something that gave him more of what he wanted. He was totally wrapped up in himself, in his ego, in what was good for him. So the first and most important thing for each of us is to understand the love that God has for us. And once we feel it, once we have it in our heart, we will always give it to others. Closing prayer Father, you’re the source of everything for us.

You are the one who creates within us compassion, empathy, love, forgiveness. Help us to be open to this gift. Help us to know that without you, we can fall into the trap of being fully focused on ourself and whatever works for us. But we need your compassion in our hearts. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.