Sunday, September 11, 2011

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

MATTHEW 18:21-35
THERE IS A MARVELOUS MOVIE CALLED “ROSEANNA” WHICH FOR SOME REASON NEVER MADE THE BIG TIME. IT IS SET IN A LITTLE VILLAGE IN ITALY, AND TELLS THE STORY OF ROSEANNA, WHO IS CHRONICALLY ILL, AND HER HUSBAND ANTONIO, WHO IS A SIMPLE SOUL WHO RUNS A LITTLE RESTAURANT. THEY HAD LOST THEIR ONLY CHILD WHO IS BURIED IN THE LOCAL CEMETERY. THE CEMETERY IS RUNNING OUT OF ROOM, AND ROSEANNA, WHO BELIEVES SHE WILL DIE SOON, WANTS TO BE BURIED NEXT TO HER CHILD. BUT I WON'T GIVE AWAY THE ENDING. I JUST WANTED TO DESCRIBE ONE SCENE. A MAN WHO IS A RETIRED CRIMINAL PASSES AWAY. ANTONIO DECIDES TO HIDE THE FACT THAT HE IS DEAD, SINCE HE WILL TAKE UP ONE MORE GRAVE IN THE CEMETERY. ANOTHER CRIMINAL IS RELEASED FROM PRISON, AND GOES TO ANTONIO AND THREATENS HIM, DEMANDING THAT HE LEAD HIM TO THE MAN WHO HAD STOLEN HIS MONEY BEFORE HE WENT TO PRISON. ANTONIO FINALLY CONFESSES THAT THE MAN IN QUESTION IS ACTUALLY DEAD. THE CRIMINAL BRANDISHES A GUN, AND SWEARS HE WILL GET HIS REVENGE. JUST BEFORE HE SHOOTS HIMSELF IN THE HEAD, HE CRIES OUT “I KNOW YOU ARE IN HELL, AND I AM COMING FOR YOU!”
AFTER JESUS TELLS PETER THAT HE MUST FORGIVE “SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN TIMES” HE TELLS THE STORY OF THE UNGRATEFUL SERVANT, WHICH YOU HAVE JUST HEARD. THE LESSON SEEMS TO BE THAT IF THE FATHER HAS FORGIVEN MY SINS THROUGH THE DEATH OF HIS SON, MY LORD AND MY BROTHER, SURELY I SHOULD BE FORGIVING OTHER PEOPLE FOR THEIR OFFENSES AGAINST ME, WHICH ARE TRIVIAL BY COMPARISON. ONE COULD SAY THAT IN A WAY, FORGIVENESS IS AN ACT OF LOVE FOR THE ONE WE FORGIVE; IT IS SOMETHING WE DO OUT OF THE GOOD OF OUR HEARTS.
BUT I WONDER IF THAT IS THE WHOLE MESSAGE. BECAUSE THE KING WHO FORGIVES IS HIMSELF UNAFFECTED, OR PERHAPS HE EVEN BECOMES A BETTER PERSON; BUT THE UNGRATEFUL SERVANT ENDS UP BEING TORTURED UNTIL HE PAYS HIS DEBT IN FULL.
JESUS ASKS PETER TO FORGIVE FOUR HUNDRED AND NINETY TIMES FOR PETER'S SAKE, NOT FOR THE SAKE OF THOSE WHO OFFEND PETER.
THINK OF WHAT HAPPENS IF WE WITHHOLD FORGIVENESS. FIRST, OUR ENEMY GAINS POWER OVER US. IF WE DON'T FORGIVE, THEN HE FILLS MY HEART WITH RESENTMENT AND ANGER; THE OFFENSE KEEPS POPPING INTO MY CONSCIOUSNESS, DISTRACTING ME, GIVING ME FANTASIES OF REVENGE, BUILDING UP MY SENSE OF HAVING BEEN DISRESPECTED. AND MY ENEMY MAY NOT EVEN KNOW WHAT HAPPENED, BUT YOU CAN BE SURE THAT HE IS NOT LOSING ANY SLEEP OVER THE ISSUE; IT IS ONLY ME THAT SUFFERS.
SECOND, WE SELDOM KNOW WHAT IS IN THE MIND OF THE ONE WHO OFFENDED US. WE RISK MAKING WRONG JUDGMENTS. I THINK MANY SPOUSES HAVE EXPERIENCED MOMENTS WHEN NOT ONLY DOES THE WIFE CALL ATTENTION TO SOMETHING THE HUSBAND DID, BUT TELLS HIM WHY HE DID IT – USUALLY FOR SOME MALICIOUS REASON. AND IT WORKS BOTH WAYS. WHEN WE DECIDE WHAT WAS IN THE MIND OF THE PERSON WHO OFFENDED US, WE ALMOST CERTAINLY WILL GUESS WRONGLY, AND THAT TAKES US AWAY FROM THE TRUTH. NOTHING GOOD COMES FROM BELIEVING A LIE.
THIRD, WE RISK TAKING SOMETHING AND ESCALATING IT, SOMETIMES TO DANGEROUS LEVELS. A MOLEHILL BECOMES A MOUNTAIN; AN ACT OF DISRESPECT, INTENDED OR NOT, ENDS UP WITH ONE PERSON DEAD AND THE OTHER IN PRISON FOR LIFE. THIS WAS THE CULTURE OF DUELING, AND UNFORTUNATELY SEEMS TO BE THE CULTURE OF THE GANGS IN SOME OF OUR CITY CENTERS.
FOURTH, WITHHOLDING FORGIVENESS KEEPS US FROM SEEING OUR OWN FAULTS; IT IS AN ENEMY OF HUMILITY. WE CAN ONLY FORGIVE IF WE WILLINGLY BECOME BLIND TO OUR OWN FAILINGS. IT'S LIKE THE STORY OF THE COUPLE WHO DROVE AWAY FROM THE RESTAURANT. THE WIFE REMEMBERS THAT SHE FORGOT HER PURSE, AND THE HUSBAND TURNS AROUND, TELLING HER HOW STUPID THAT WAS, HOW SHE IS ALWAYS DOING THINGS LIKE THAT, HOW SHE'S WASTED HIS TIME, AND ON AND ON. WHEN THEY FINALLY GET BACK TO THE RESTAURANT, AS SHE GETS OUT OF THE CAR HE ASKS HER IF SHE'D MIND PICKING UP HIS COAT WHILE SHE IS IN THERE.
THOSE ARE ALL VERY GOOD REASONS TO PRACTICE FORGIVENESS, AND THEY HAVE VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH THE PERSON WHO HAS OFFENDED US. BUT PERHAPS THERE IS ONE OVERARCHING REASON, AND THAT IS IMPLIED IN THE STORY JESUS TELLS. OUR BEING FORGIVEN DEPENDS ON OUR FORGIVING. WE SAY THIS IN THE LORD'S PRAYER – FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US. AND THE UNGRATEFUL SERVANT, WHO HAS BEEN FORGIVEN, FINDS THE FORGIVENESS WITHDRAWN, AND THE MERCIFUL KING BECOMES THE JUST JUDGE, GIVING HIM EXACTLY WHAT HE DESERVES – THAT HE PAY BACK IN FULL WHAT HE HAD SQUANDERED, NO EXCUSES, NO BARGAINING – THAT IS JUSTICE WITHOUT MERCY, AND I WOULD HATE TO HAVE GOD TREAT ME JUSTLY FOR MY SINS. WITHHOLDING FORGIVENESS THREATENS THE RELATIONSHIP WE HAVE WITH GOD HIMSELF, A RELATIONSHIP THAT REQUIRES HUMILITY, TRUTH, AND LETTING GO OF THINGS THAT TIE US DOWN.
THIS WEEKEND WE REMEMBER THE TRAGEDY OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001. I GOT MY COPY OF NEWSWEEK AND IT IS AN ENTIRE ISSUE DEVOTED TO HOW THIS EVENT CHANGED AMERICA – MOSTLY FOR THE WORST. AS A COUNTRY, MUCH OF WHAT HAPPENED AFTERWARDS MADE SOME SENSE, BUT MUCH OF WHAT HAPPENED AND STILL CONTINUES TO HAPPEN IS A SYMPTOM OF NOT BEING ABLE TO FORGIVE. AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THERE AREN'T ANY PEOPLE LEFT WHO WE CAN FORGIVE – THEY ARE ALL DEAD, OR IN SOME CASES, LOCKED UP FOR GOOD. BUT AS A NATION, WE HAVEN'T PUT THIS BEHIND US, WE ARE GOING TO MAKE SURE WE REMEMBER, AND STOKE THE FIRES THAT HAVE SORT HAVE DIED DOWN OVER THE YEARS; THE PICTURES OF THE TWIN TOWERS, THE STORIES OF THE VICTIMS AND THEIR RELATIVES, THE REMINDER THAT THERE ARE STILL TERRORISTS WHO WANT US DEAD – SURELY THIS GREAT TRAGEDY THAT TOOK PLACE IS A TERRIBLE THING, BUT IT BECOMES EVEN MORE TERRIBLE WHEN IT MAKES US WITHHOLD FORGIVENESS. BECAUSE IN THE END, THE ONE WHO DOES NOT FORGIVE IS THE ONE WHO SUFFERS, AND NOT TO FORGIVE IS IN A WAY, TO BE IN HELL.