Papal Homilies
The Merciful King
17 March 2020 | Holy Mass Casa Santa Marta (Domus Sanctae Marthae)
24th Sunday of Year A
Jesus gives us a catechesis about the unity of brothers and sisters and ends it with a beautiful word: “I assure you that if two of you, two or three, will agree and ask for a grace, it will be granted to you.” Unity, friendship and peace among brothers and sisters attracts the benevolence of God. And Peter asks the question: “Yes, but what should we do with the people that offend us? If my brother offends me, he offends me, how many times will I have to forgive him? Seven times?” And Jesus answered with that word that means, in their idiom, “always”: “Seventy times seven.” You must always forgive.
And it’s not easy, to forgive. Because our selfish heart is always attached to hatred, revenge, resentment. We have all seen families destroyed by hate in the family that gets passed down in the family from one generation to the next. Brothers who, in front of the coffin of one of the parents, do not greet each other because they carry on old grudges. It seems that it is stronger to cling to hatred than to love, and this is precisely the treasure – let’s say so – of the devil. He always occupies himself among our grudges, among our hates and makes them grow, keeps them there to destroy. Destroy everything. And so often, for small things, he destroys. And he also destroys the Lord who did not come to condemn, but to forgive. This God who is able to celebrate for a sinner who draws near to him and forgets everything.
When God forgives us, he forgets all the evil we have done. Someone said, “It’s God’s ailment” He has no memory, he is able to lose his memory, in these cases. God loses the memory of the awful stories of so many sinners, of our sins. He forgives us and he goes on. He only asks us: “Do the same: learn to forgive”, do not carry on this unfruitful cross of hatred, and resentment, “you will pay for it”. This word is neither Christian nor human. The generosity of Jesus who teaches us that in order to enter heaven we must forgive. Indeed, He tells us: “You, go to Mass?” – “Yes” – “But when you go to Mass and you remember that your brother has something against you, reconcile first; don’t come to me with love for me in one hand and hate for your brother in the other.” Consistency in love. Forgive. Forgiveness from the heart.
There are people who live condemning people, talking ill of people, constantly dirtying their workmates, dirtying neighbours, relatives, because they don’t forgive something they’ve done to them, or they don’t forgive something they didn’t like. It seems that the devil’s wealth is this: sowing love to non-forgiveness, living attached to non-forgiveness. And forgiveness is a condition for entering heaven.
The parable that Jesus tells us is very clear: to forgive. May the Lord teach us this wisdom of forgiveness that is not easy. And let us do one thing: when we go to confession, to receive the sacrament of reconciliation, let us first ask ourselves, “Do I forgive?” If I feel that I do not forgive, do not pretend to ask forgiveness, because I will not be forgiven. Asking for forgiveness is forgiving. They’re both together. They can’t separate. And those who ask for forgiveness for themselves like this servant, who the master forgives everything, but do not give forgiveness to others, will end up like this servant. “So too, my Heavenly Father will do with you if you do not forgive your brother from the heart.”
May the Lord help us understand this and lower our heads, so that we are not proud, to be magnanimous in forgiveness. At least to forgive “out of interest.” How come? Yes: forgive, because if I do not forgive, I will not be forgiven. But always forgiveness.
Jesus Introduces the Teaching of Today’s Parable into the Our Father
17 September 2017 | Saint Peter’s Square
24th Sunday of Year A
From the time of our Baptism, God has forgiven us, releasing us from an intractable debt: original sin. But that is the first time. Then, with boundless mercy, he forgives us all our faults as soon as we show even the least sign of repentance. This is how God is: merciful. When we are tempted to close our heart to those who have offended us and tell us they are sorry, let us remember our Heavenly Father’s words to the wicked servant: “I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” (vv. 32-33). Anyone who has experienced the joy, peace and inner freedom which come from being forgiven should open him or herself up to the possibility of forgiving in turn.
Jesus wished to introduce the teaching of this parable into the Our Father. He linked the forgiveness which we ask from God with the forgiveness that we should accord our brothers and sisters: “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Mt 6:12). God’s forgiveness is the symbol of his “overflowing” love for each of us. It is the love that leaves us free to distance ourselves, like the prodigal son, but which awaits our return every day. It is the resourceful love of the shepherd for the lost sheep. It is the tenderness which welcomes each sinner who knocks at his door. The Heavenly Father — our Father — is filled, is full of love and he wants to offer it to us, but he cannot do so if we close our heart to love towards others.
It’s Not Easy to Forgive
17 March 2020 | Holy Mass Casa Santa Marta (Domus Sanctae Marthae)
24th Sunday of Year A
Jesus gives us a catechesis about the unity of brothers and sisters and ends it with a beautiful word: “I assure you that if two of you, two or three, will agree and ask for a grace, it will be granted to you.” Unity, friendship and peace among brothers and sisters attracts the benevolence of God. And Peter asks the question: “Yes, but what should we do with the people that offend us? If my brother offends me, he offends me, how many times will I have to forgive him? Seven times?” And Jesus answered with that word that means, in their idiom, “always”: “Seventy times seven.” You must always forgive.
And it’s not easy, to forgive. Because our selfish heart is always attached to hatred, revenge, resentment. We have all seen families destroyed by hate in the family that gets passed down in the family from one generation to the next. Brothers who, in front of the coffin of one of the parents, do not greet each other because they carry on old grudges. It seems that it is stronger to cling to hatred than to love, and this is precisely the treasure – let’s say so – of the devil. He always occupies himself among our grudges, among our hates and makes them grow, keeps them there to destroy. Destroy everything. And so often, for small things, he destroys. And he also destroys the Lord who did not come to condemn, but to forgive. This God who is able to celebrate for a sinner who draws near to him and forgets everything.
When God forgives us, he forgets all the evil we have done. Someone said, “It’s God’s ailment” He has no memory, he is able to lose his memory, in these cases. God loses the memory of the awful stories of so many sinners, of our sins. He forgives us and he goes on. He only asks us: “Do the same: learn to forgive”, do not carry on this unfruitful cross of hatred, and resentment, “you will pay for it”. This word is neither Christian nor human. The generosity of Jesus who teaches us that in order to enter heaven we must forgive. Indeed, He tells us: “You, go to Mass?” – “Yes” – “But when you go to Mass and you remember that your brother has something against you, reconcile first; don’t come to me with love for me in one hand and hate for your brother in the other.” Consistency in love. Forgive. Forgiveness from the heart.
There are people who live condemning people, talking ill of people, constantly dirtying their workmates, dirtying neighbours, relatives, because they don’t forgive something they’ve done to them, or they don’t forgive something they didn’t like. It seems that the devil’s wealth is this: sowing love to non-forgiveness, living attached to non-forgiveness. And forgiveness is a condition for entering heaven.
The parable that Jesus tells us is very clear: to forgive. May the Lord teach us this wisdom of forgiveness that is not easy. And let us do one thing: when we go to confession, to receive the sacrament of reconciliation, let us first ask ourselves, “Do I forgive?” If I feel that I do not forgive, do not pretend to ask forgiveness, because I will not be forgiven. Asking for forgiveness is forgiving. They’re both together. They can’t separate. And those who ask for forgiveness for themselves like this servant, who the master forgives everything, but do not give forgiveness to others, will end up like this servant. “So too, my Heavenly Father will do with you if you do not forgive your brother from the heart.”
May the Lord help us understand this and lower our heads, so that we are not proud, to be magnanimous in forgiveness. At least to forgive “out of interest.” How come? Yes: forgive, because if I do not forgive, I will not be forgiven. But always forgiveness.
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SOURCE: The Holy See Archive at the Vatican Website © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Pope Benedict XVI
Love Your Neighbor As Yourself
11 September 2011 | Courtyard of the Papal Summer Residence, Castel Gandolfo
24th Sunday of Year A
The biblical Readings of Mass this Sunday converge on the theme of brotherly love in the community of believers whose source lies in the communion of the Trinity. The Apostle Paul says that the whole Law of God finds fullness in love, so that in our relationships with others the Ten Commandments and every other precept are summed up in these words: “Love your neighbour as yourself” (cf. Rom 13:8-10).
The Gospel text from chapter 18 of Matthew on the life of the Christian community tells us that brotherly love also involves a sense of mutual responsibility. For this reason if my brother commits a sin against me I must treat him charitably and first of all, speak to him privately, pointing out that what he has said or done is wrong. This approach is known as “fraternal correction”: it is not a reaction to the offence suffered but is motivated by love for one’s brethren.
St Augustine comments: “Whoever has offended you, in offending you, has inflicted a serious injury upon himself; and would you not care for a brother’s injury?… You must forget the offence you have received but not the injury of one of your brethren (Discourse 82, 7).
And what if my brother does not listen to me? In today’s Gospel Jesus points to a gradual approach: first, speak to him again with two or three others, the better to help him realize what he has done; if, in spite of this, he still refuses to listen, it is necessary to tell the community; and if he refuses to listen even to the community, he must be made to perceive that he has cut himself off by separating himself from the communion of the Church.
All this demonstrates that we are responsible for each other in the journey of Christian life; each person, aware of his own limitations and shortcomings, is called to accept fraternal correction and to help others with this specific service.
Another fruit of love in the community is unanimous prayer. Jesus said: “If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in Heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:19-20). Personal prayer is of course important, indeed indispensable, but the Lord guarantees his presence to the community — even if it is very small — which is united and in agreement, because this reflects the very reality of the Triune God, perfect communion of love. Origen says “we should practise this symphony” (Commentary on the Gospel according to Matthew, 14,1), in other words this harmony within the Christian community. We should practise both fraternal correction — which demands deep humility and simplicity of heart — and prayer so that it may rise to God from a community truly united in Christ.
Let us ask all this through the intercession of Mary Most Holy, Mother of the Church and of St Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor, whom we commemorated in the liturgy yesterday.
SOURCE: The Holy See Archive at the Vatican Website © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Pope St. John Paul II
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Holy See Homily Notes
Theme of Readings
Forgiveness
The word “forgiveness” occurs frequently in the texts of this Sunday. First and foremost is the forgiveness granted by God. “And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt” (Mt 18:27). Fraternal forgiveness is a necessary condition that precedes divine forgiveness. “Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray” (Sir 28:2). Thirdly, there is boundless forgiveness. “Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times? Jesus answered, Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times”(Mt 18: 21-22). Finally, the reason for forgiveness is nothing other than our belonging to the same Lord. For none of us lives for himself …while we are alive, we are living for the Lord” (cf. Rom 14: 7-8).
P. Antonio Izqeuirdo, L.C., Copyright © Dicastery for the Clergy
Doctrinal Messages
We are all debtors before God
With the parable of forgiveness, Jesus teaches us in a brilliant but discrete way that we are all debtors before God. Such debt exceeds our possibilities of payment, and it is therefore impossible for us to re-establish justice. There is only room for forgiveness and pardon. This is what God does. God gives us an example of forgiveness in the figure of the servant’s master. Jesus Christ follows the same path. “Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing” (Lk 23: 34). The huge debt that man has towards God is sin, in other words, falling short of God’s plan. In this situation, God could have exercised divine justice, causing man to eternally live separated God. Instead, God acts out of mercy and forgiveness. “And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.”
P. Antonio Izqeuirdo, L.C., Copyright © Dicastery for the Clergy
Forgiveness asks for forgiveness
Pardoned by God and reconciled with him, man must follow the divine footsteps of forgiveness, and forgive and be reconciled with his neighbor. At some point, we all offend others and are offended by them. Forgiving those who offend us and being forgiven by those whom we have offended is the attitude that God expects of us and for which he gives us his grace. It must be a generous pardon, with no limits of any kind, “seventy-seven times.” It must be a forgiveness that stems from the forgiveness received by God. “Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” (Mt 18: 33). Furthermore, it is a forgiveness that God has established as a condition for his pardoning us. “Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray” (Sir 28: 2). It must be a forgiveness motivated by the fact that the Christian does not belong to himself, but to the Lord. Therefore, what he does, he does for the Lord. We must thus show him respect, although he may think and act differently from us. If at any time we feel offended, we must be able to pardon him with all of our heart (Rom 14: 5-9). Finally, it is a forgiveness that must remain alive and sincere over time, removing from one’s heart and deeds any form of animosity, vengeance, and resentment. “Does a man harbor anger against another, and yet seek for healing from the Lord?” (Sir 28: 3).
P. Antonio Izqeuirdo, L.C., Copyright © Dicastery for the Clergy
Pastoral Suggestions
The Church, house of forgiveness
The Church is the house in which God lives and offers us his forgiveness. Since we do not only offend God but the Church as well, the Church too is the house in which he grants us his forgiveness. The Christian is reconciled with God and with the Church, especially through the sacrament of Reconciliation. I often wonder why Christians have a certain fear when receiving this sacrament. They even tend to have a certain “aversion” to it. Has the feeling of guilt perhaps diminished in the conscience of Christians? Is it perhaps because the sacrament is not perceived as a personal encounter with God, the Father of forgiveness and mercy? Are we as priests responsible for it, as perhaps in our sacramental ministry we do not reflect the loving attitude of the Father? As confessors, these are questions that we must not sweep away under the carpet. We must find answers so that the sacrament of forgiveness finds its place in Christian consciousness, and the Church may be the house of generous forgiveness for all.
P. Antonio Izqeuirdo, L.C., Copyright © Dicastery for the Clergy
The forms of this difficult forgiveness
Judging by the news in the papers and on television, forgiveness is indeed very difficult for the human heart. People show anger. They demand justice. They seek vengeance, but very seldom do we see someone who can forgive sincerely. The gesture of the Pope forgiving the man who shot him, Alì Agka, is not frequently reproduced on the television screen. I am sure that there are very many Christians who forgive and know how to forgive, but since they do not appear on television, it is as if they did not exist. In any event, there is no doubt that true forgiveness is difficult, and it requires a higher strength from God.
P. Antonio Izqeuirdo, L.C., Copyright © Dicastery for the Clergy
Remaining silent before an impulse
Perhaps, it would thus be useful to speak of the different forms of forgiveness, which manifest forgiveness to a different degree: remaining silent before an impulse of anger, addressing in a friendly way those who have offended us in some way, respecting those who have insulted us without returning the insult, forgiving sincerely even though the intervention of justice is requested, shaking hands with or even embracing those who approach us and ask for our forgiveness, struggling to avoid falling prey to the desire for revenge, stepping forward to greet the person with whom we have had an argument, praying for those who have behaved in a contemptible way towards us or that have sworn at us, believing that the person did not intend to offend us in any way, overlooking minor everyday insults with love and patience, etc.
P. Antonio Izqeuirdo, L.C., Copyright © Dicastery for the Clergy