September 13, 2026 Trinity XV

September 13, 2026

Trinity XV

People who are familiar with domestic violence will tell us that there is a dangerous side to Jesus’ teaching to forgive endless numbers of times. What happens when we are not able to forgive? What happens when the offer of forgiveness is not met with repentance and restitution on the part of the offender? There are times, as in cases of domestic violence, when endless forgiveness fuels the cycle of abuse and does not bring peace and reconciliation. Processes of forgiveness and reconciliation are complex and cannot be reduced to simple formulas.

As we read today's Gospel, it might be helpful to recall that in the passage that immediately precedes this story, Jesus outlines a multi-step process for seeking reconciliation and right relationship. Even if we're not bold enough to say it out loud, we can probably resonate with Peter's question in today's Gospel; so how many times do we have to do this? How many times do we have to forgive?

Today's Gospel is meant to be a continuation of last week's where Jesus outlines a process for initiating reconciliation when there are ruptures within the Christian community. He speaks about moving from one-on-one confrontation to mediation to involvement of the whole community. It is in response to this that Peter asks how often one must forgive. He rightly recognizes the difficulties and complications that accompany such processes. Jesus response is that there is no limit to the number of times one must try to forgive. There are endless hurts that require endless offers of forgiveness and endless acts of repentance. One must always be ready to do the difficult work of repairing and reconciling.

In the ensuing parable about the servant who was forgiven a great debt, Jesus shifts the emphasis away from the burden and the difficulty of the work of reconciliation, as he calls attention to the utter gratuity of the gift of forgiveness. The only way to respond adequately to such a gift is to pay it forward. The servant can never repay the king, but he can act in the same forgiving manner to those indebted to him. But, as the second act of the parable unfolds, we find him doing exactly the opposite. Then, in a disturbing turn of events, the king retracts his forgiveness. Most troubling is that this is likened to God's reneging on forgiveness if we do not forgive from the heart. This verse recalls the ending of the prayer that Jesus teaches his disciples: “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” with a stern statement that our ability to offer forgiveness is intimately related to our ability to receive it.

While Jesus offers a typical parabolic response, a quick summation can be found in today's letter to the Romans. “We are the Lord’s.” While this might seem overly simplistic, it is the reason why we must forgive seventy-seven times. When God claims us for God's own self at baptism, we become part of something bigger than ourselves. We no longer exist as isolated individuals but instead as integral members of a community of believers. While not always easy, living in communion with others is an integral element of the Christian life, and we do so not for our own sake but because “whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”

Following Jesus instruction about dispute in community, Peter approaches Jesus with a question about forgiveness. Peter suggests one could forgive up to seven times - seven being considered a perfect number, in reference to the completion of creation with rest on the seventh day. One might infer that Peter thought seven was a high number. Last week's example of conflict resolution gave just three strikes before one was declared out of the community. However, Jesus mandates forgiveness for not just seven but seventy-seven times – essentially, as many as needed. Jesus illustrates this point with the parable of the unforgiving servant. The servant's debt is an incredibly large amount, one that he could never hope to repay, but yet the king makes the impossibly generous decision to wipe it away. God is incredibly generous with each of us, showing us endless mercy despite our many faults and failings. If we like this servant turn around and deny forgiveness to others we create an obstacle to receiving God's mercy ourselves.

The point is not that God is fickle about forgiveness, taking it back if we do not do likewise, nor that God is vindictive if we fail to follow the divine lead. Rather, the parable is a stark warning of the consequences of letting our hearts become solidified in unforgiveness. A heart hardened in revenge sets in motion endless cycles of violence. The parable exposes the way that our choice to forgive (or not) will come back to us. I suppose one could call it divine karma. If we try to forgive and pray for the ability to forgive even when we are not yet able to, we open ourselves all the more to the experience of God's tender mercy towards us, enabling us to extend that mercy and compassion toward others. Nothing we can do can take divine forgiveness away from us, but we can do things that hinder its powerful effect on us.

How do we live is God's chosen? The spiritual master Henri Nouwen suggests that we do not always treat others as God's beloved because we refused to recognize our own belovedness. As we go through this week, maybe we should allow ourselves to intentionally take moments to bask in how much God loves us. In doing so, we can slowly begin to share that same love with others.

Let us pray.

In today’s gospel Jesus reminds us that if we are to gain forgiveness from our Heavenly Father, we in turn must practice forgiveness in our daily lives.  We pray for the grace to forgive those who may have offended or hurt us and to banish resentment, anger and hatred from our lives. We pray to the Lord.               

We pray with confidence that our loving Father forgive us our many transgressions, for which we are truly sorry, and give us the strength to live our lives in closer accord with his commandments. We pray to the Lord.

We pray for those who we have offended by thought, word or deed and who have shown Christian charity in forgiving and forgetting our transgressions. We pray to the Lord.            

We pray for the victims of crime that they find consolation in the words of Christ and that they learn to forgive those who may have gravely affected their lives. We pray to the Lord.                                    

We pray that those engaged in war and conflict set aside hatred, vengeance and retaliation and instead work for understanding and peace in our world for the good of all. We pray to the Lord.           

At this time when our oceans, our eco-systems and so many people are struggling to survive the effects of global warming, we pray for the wisdom and determination to live a life which is not selfishly centred on ourselves but on the survival of God’s creation. We pray to the lord.

We pray for peace in our world and for an end to the killing of the innocent. We pray to the Lord.

We pray to God for an increase of priests, deacons, and religious for our denomination to bring the Good News to all peoples without prejudice. We pray to the Lord.

For generous benefactors who can help our tiny parish with needed repairs and better fiscal foundation. We pray to the Lord.

For those on our parish prayer list, that they may receive swift answers to their needs and that they may find consolation through Christ’s healing presence. We pray to the Lord.

We bow our heads and remember in silence our own personal intentions and the intentions of those who have asked for our prayers (pause). We pray to the Lord.  

Holy God, send some companions who can look in a pained face and not turn away, who can look at bruises and scars and not pull back, who can hear anger and rage and not run away, who can touch a fragile body with tenderness and not pity, who can stay through the dark nights and shadowed days. Holy God, touch us and use us to be the neighbor, the friend to those in need.

God who was and is, and is to come, we approach your presence to behold your awesome power and glory. Open our eyes this day, that we might witness to the love and spirit of your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us, we pray, to live with your justice and mercy in our daily lives. Open our hearts, that we may rejoice in your covenant of reconciling love. Guide us with your Spirit so that we may live as new people. We ask all these things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

God Love You +++

The Most Rev. Robert Winzens

Pastor – St. Francis Chapel

San Diego, CA.

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