Action, parable and a Way of forgiveness

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today urge us to look more deeply into the actions, slogans and stories we encounter for opportunities to witness to Jesus Way.

Stories that heal

The Prophet Ezekiel performs acts symbolic of the Exile in hopes of attracting the attention of his people to the message from God.

* [12:3–10] An exile’s bag contains bare necessities, probably no more than a bowl, a mat, and a waterskin. The prophet’s action foreshadows the fate of ruler and people (vv. 11–14).

The use of the parable of the unforgiving servant by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew may reset our sense of entitlement and restore our humility and thanksgiving.

* [18:21–35] The final section of the [Church Order] discourse deals with the forgiveness that the disciples are to give to their fellow disciples who sin against them. To the question of Peter how often forgiveness is to be granted (Mt 18:21), Jesus answers that it is to be given without limit (Mt 18:22) and illustrates this with the parable of the unmerciful servant (Mt 18:23–34), warning that his heavenly Father will give those who do not forgive the same treatment as that given to the unmerciful servant (Mt 18:35). Mt 18:21–22 correspond to Lk 17:4; the parable and the final warning are peculiar to Matthew. That the parable did not originally belong to this context is suggested by the fact that it really does not deal with repeated forgiveness, which is the point of Peter’s question and Jesus’ reply.

Brian Phillips explains the benefit of reading Scripture deeply and contemplatively, as he outlines five discourses in the Gospel of Matthew.

Beyond the obvious benefits that come to any Christian who grows in his understanding of Scripture, the months I have spent in St. Matthew’s Gospel have reminded me of the benefits of reading deeply and contemplatively, not only with Scripture, but with great literature.  Paying attention to repetitions, literary devices, identifying parallels, and pursuing types and patterns yields tremendous reward. Making comparisons and connections brings greater clarity to all of our reading and guides us in the cultivation of wisdom and virtue in ourselves and our hearers.

Barbara Dilly adds the effect of slogans to the actions and parables of the texts today.

So often those of us who are rich and powerful go around announcing that God is on our side; and not even the rich or the powerful, but those who want to be make such claims.  My neighbor has a big sign on his house that says “God, Guns, and Guts Made America Free.” While I am certainly not going to suggest that my neighbor is demonstrating blatant and disdainful pride, I wonder if he ever prays for “liberty and justice” for all?  I think we still have a lot of work to do in achieving those desired ends. And I think it will take a lot more humility than pride to realize freedom and justice for all in America. It’s not a done deal. We still need God’s justice a lot more than some people would like to admit.

Don Schwager quotes Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD) on the topic of how often shall I forgive?

"When Peter asked him whether he should forgive his brother sinning against him up to seven times, the Lord replied, 'Not up to seven times but up to seventy times seven times'” In every way he teaches us to be like him in humility and goodness. In weakening and breaking the impulses of our rampant passions he strengthens us by the example of his leniency, by granting us in faith pardon of all our sins. For the vices of our nature did not merit pardon. Therefore all pardon comes from him. In fact, he pardons even those sins that remain in one after confession. The penalty to be paid through Cain was established at sevenfold, but that sin was against a man, against his brother Abel, to the point of murder (Genesis 4:8). But in Lamech the penalty was established at seventy times seven times (Genesis 4:24), and, as we believe, the penalty was established on those responsible for the Lord’s Passion. But the Lord through the confession of believers grants pardon for this crime. By the gift of baptism he grants the grace of salvation to his revilers and persecutors. How much more is it necessary, he shows, that pardon be returned by us without measure or number. And we should not think how many times we forgive, but we should cease to be angry with those who sin against us, as often as the occasion for anger exists. Pardon’s frequency shows us that in our case there is never a time for anger, since God pardons us for all sins in their entirety by his gift rather than by our merit. Nor should we be excused from the requirement of giving pardon that number of times [i.e., seventy times seven], since through the grace of the gospel God has granted us pardon without measure." (excerpt from ON MATTHEW 18.10)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 18:21–19:1 comments how many angry or resentful thoughts against people are able to bounce around in our heads. It’s not that we like having these negative thoughts. But we may not know how to get free of them, or we may not be ready to forgive.

When it comes to larger hurts, it can be difficult if not impossible to forgive completely. But here are four simple steps we can take that may help us: first, thank Jesus for being so merciful to you. Second, tell Jesus that you want to forgive the one who hurt you, but that it hurts too much to forgive just now. Third, know that Jesus is with you. He knows how much you are hurting. He understands. He still loves you. Finally, ask Jesus for the grace to forgive over time.
Sometimes the deep hurts of life can take months or years to be healed. Jesus knows this, and he understands. He is infinitely patient, just as he is infinitely generous with his own grace and mercy.

Friar Jude Winkler describes the situation in Babylon as Ezekiel acts out as an exile prior to the 587 BCE removal of people from Jerusalem to Babylon. Forgiveness is based on the need of the other for forgiveness. The numbers in the Gospel are interpreted as an exhortation to forgive others an infinite number of times.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, connects several central ideas affirmed by Jesus to those already formed in the ancient Hindu texts Vedas, Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. Three of these ideas are advaita, karma, and maya.

I am convinced that Jesus taught the karmic world view, but many Christians understood him inside a reward and punishment framework. Here are just a couple illustrations: “If you show mercy, mercy will be shown to you” (Matthew 5:7, Luke 6:37); “The standard you use will be used for you” (Mark 4:24).

Action examples, parables and even slogans are opportunities to look deeper, and hopefully see that all things are parts of much larger ecosystems of connection and life. 

References

(n.d.). Ezekiel, chapter 12 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved August 16, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/12

(n.d.). Matthew 18:21-35. Retrieved August 16, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/matthew18.htm
(2014, May 22). The 5 Discourses of Jesus | Circe Institute. Retrieved August 16, 2018, from https://www.circeinstitute.org/blog/5-discourses-jesus
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved August 16, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 16, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved August 16, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 16, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/