Oboedire "Year of Mercy: Mercy It Forward" by J. Steven Harper for Wednesday, 14 September 2016

Oboedire   "Year of Mercy: Mercy It Forward" by J. Steven Harper for Wednesday, 14 September 2016
The second parable that Pope Francis references is Matthew 18:21-35, a story Jesus used to answer Peter's question, "How many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?"
The parable has some enigmatic nuances, but the answer to Peter's question is obvious, "Forgive those who sin against you over, over, and over." In other words, do not ever change from forgiveness to punishment.
That is what the servant did. He received mercy for a huge debt, but then turned around and exacted punishment toward a fellow servant who owed him only a small amount--Jesus' way of reminding us that the indebtedness of others toward us is small in comparison to our indebtedness to God--which only makes our unwillingness to forgive others all the more putrid.
The message is clear: we must never create a system where retributive justice (punishment) replaces restorative justice (forgiveness). For one thing, judgement is not our job. And for another thing, retributive justice creates the illusion that we are the "good guys," when the fact is, there is none righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10).
Mercy only flows from those who have recognized their need to be forgiven along with everyone else. Mercy is our response to having been forgiven. As long as we thank God that we are not like others (Luke 18:11) and create punitive systems to use against others, we remain strangers to grace, selling waxed fruit rather than the fruit of the Spirit.
J. Steven Harper

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Categories: Year of Mercy

URL: http://wp.me/p101na-1FA
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Matthew 18:21 Then Kefa came up and said to him, “Rabbi, how often can my brother sin against me and I have to forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” answered Yeshua, “but seventy times seven! 23 Because of this, the Kingdom of Heaven may be compared with a king who decided to settle accounts with his deputies. 24 Right away they brought forward a man who owed him many millions; 25 and since he couldn’t pay, his master ordered that he, his wife, his children and all his possessions be sold to pay the debt. 26 But the servant fell down before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 So out of pity for him, the master let him go and forgave the debt.

28 “But as that servant was leaving, he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him some tiny sum. He grabbed him and began to choke him, crying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ 29 His fellow servant fell before him and begged, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 But he refused; instead, he had him thrown in jail until he should repay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were extremely distressed; and they went and told their master everything that had taken place. 32 Then the master summoned his servant and said, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt just because you begged me to do it. 33 Shouldn’t you have had pity on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 And in anger his master turned him over to the jailers for punishment until he paid back everything he owed. 35 This is how my heavenly Father will treat you, unless you each forgive your brother from your hearts.”

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