Haven’t forgiven enough

Today’s Gospel (Matthew 18:21-35) brings to mind a hard question.

Is there someone whom we have not yet forgiven?

If there is someone whom we have not forgiven, then obviously we haven't forgiven enough.

Consider the unforgiving servant in the parable:

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…

The greater the love that is disrespected, the more precious the gift that is abused, the greater the debt that is owed.

By our sins, we abuse God’s gifts to us and disrespect the love he gives us – greater and more precious than anything else we can experience or imagine.

Yet by the priceless blood of Christ we have been forgiven.

If God has forgiven us the immense debt of our sins, how can we fail to forgive those whose offenses against us are so puny in comparison?

How can the grace of forgiveness remain alive in us if we choke it off for others?

The bottom line:

Forgiveness – use it or lose it.

On the other hand, if you and I have forgiven everyone who has ever offended or harmed us in our lives, consider this:

You haven’t forgiven enough.

I haven’t forgiven enough.

Our Lord commands us to forgive seventy-seven times. That does not mean that one can resume hostilities after seventy-seven 'reps' of forgiveness

“75... I forgive you.

“76... I forgive you.

“77... I forgive you... and now you’re going to get it!!”

Forgiving seventy-seven times means to never stop forgiving, just as we will never stop receiving the graces of the Lord’s forgiveness in eternity.

The bottom line:

forgive and never forget...
to forgive again...
and again...