Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent
Lectionary: 238
Reading 1
Daniel 3:25, 34-43
Azariah stood up in the fire and prayed aloud:
“For your name’s sake, O Lord, do not deliver us up forever,
or make void your covenant.
Do not take away your mercy from us,
for the sake of Abraham, your beloved,
Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one,
To whom you promised to multiply their offspring
like the stars of heaven,
or the sand on the shore of the sea.
For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation,
brought low everywhere in the world this day
because of our sins.
We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader,
no burnt offering, sacrifice, oblation, or incense,
no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you.
But with contrite heart and humble spirit
let us be received;
As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bullocks,
or thousands of fat lambs,
So let our sacrifice be in your presence today
as we follow you unreservedly;
for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame.
And now we follow you with our whole heart,
we fear you and we pray to you.
Do not let us be put to shame,
but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.
Deliver us by your wonders,
and bring glory to your name, O Lord.”
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9
R. (6a) Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your kindness are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Verse Before the Gospel
Joel 2:12-13
Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart;
for I am gracious and merciful.
Gospel
Matthew 18:21-35
Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had him put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Forgiving From the Heart
Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18:21–22
Forgiveness of another is difficult. It’s much easier to remain angry. This line quoted above is the introduction to the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. In that parable, Jesus makes it clear that if we want to receive forgiveness from God, then we must forgive others. If we withhold forgiveness, we can be certain that God will withhold it from us.
Peter may have thought that he was being quite generous in his question to Jesus. Clearly Peter had been considering Jesus’ teachings about forgiveness and was ready to take the next step of offering that forgiveness freely. But Jesus’ answer to Peter makes it clear that Peter’s concept of forgiveness greatly paled in comparison to the forgiveness demanded by our Lord.
The parable that Jesus then tells presents us with a man who was forgiven a huge debt. Subsequently, when that man encountered a person who owed him a small debt, he failed to offer the same forgiveness that was given to him. As a result, the master of that man who was forgiven the huge debt becomes outraged and requires once again a full payment of the debt. And then Jesus ends the parable with a shocking statement. He says, “Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”
Note that the forgiveness God expects us to offer others is one that comes from the heart. And note that a lack of forgiveness on our part will result in us being handed “over to the torturers.” These are serious words. By “torturers,” we should understand that the sin of not forgiving another brings with it much interior pain. When we hold on to anger, this act “tortures” us in a certain way. Sin always has this effect upon us, and it is for our good. It’s a way in which God constantly challenges us to change. Thus, the only way to freedom from this interior form of torture by our sin is to overcome that sin, and in this case, to overcome the sin of withholding forgiveness.
Reflect, today, upon the calling God has given to you to forgive to the fullest extent. If you still sense anger in your heart toward another, keep working at it. Forgive over and over. Pray for that person. Refrain from judging them or condemning them. Forgive, forgive, forgive, and God’s abundant mercy will also be given to you.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
SHOCK PAROLE
“I canceled your entire debt when you pleaded with me.” —Matthew 18:32
Unless we forgive from our hearts everyone for everything done against us, we will be handed over to the torturers (Mt 18:34). Forgiving others from our hearts means forgiving them out of the forgiveness and mercy we have received. The master questioned the unforgiving servant: “Should you not have dealt mercifully with your fellow servant, as I dealt with you?” (Mt 18:33) The Lord gives us the grace to forgive others by making us aware of how much we have been forgiven.
Do you realize that you have been forgiven an enormous debt of sin? Your sins were actually part of the reason why Jesus was tortured and crucified (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 598). By your sins, you have rebelled against the all-holy, all-loving God. Your sins are expressions of the grossest ingratitude to the God Who created, nurtures, protects, and continues to sustain you. Because you have sinned against God Himself, your sins are so serious that it is justice for you to be damned forever.
However, we need not be damned. We are forgiven. Considering our debt to God, His forgiveness is amazing and life-changing. After being forgiven so much, we can no longer look on God, ourselves, others, and life in the same way (see 2 Cor 5:16). We have been shocked by God’s forgiveness into a life of thanksgiving to Him and forgiveness of others. Be shocked by forgiveness into forgiveness.
Prayer: Father, may I be shaken by Your forgiveness of my sins.
Promise: “Let our sacrifice be in Your presence today as we follow You unreservedly; for those who trust in You cannot be put to shame. And now we follow You with our whole heart, we fear You and we pray to You.” —Dn 3:40-41
Praise: Father Ron forgave the parishioners who tried to have him expelled from his parish.
Reflection 3
By Kent Beausoleil, S.J.
(Director of Mission, CHI Health)
Stop Being Your Own Worst Enemy.
One of the spiritual practices I have found very helpful, not just during Lent, but every day, is to journal on my day. There is something pivotal about remembering what God has done in our lives. In the difficult times in our life of faith, when our prayer feels dry, or we feel somehow disconnected from God, we tend to feel in those times a sense of spiritual diminishment.
One of the challenging things about the human condition is we can be our own worst critics. I know I can. Moments when we can feel these self-doubt messages that we aren’t good enough, smart enough, and lovable enough, instead of just resting in the God given truth of our many gifts and our own awesomeness. Too often, the bad stuff about us instead of the good stuff is easier to believe. You ever notice that?
Upon reflection and praying on the readings and Gospel story for today, I went searching for all these messages in my head that I was no Derek Jeter (former player for the New York Yankees) and people knew it. On the field, classmates would chant, “hey Beausoleil, you got it? You got it? Ah, he ain’t got it.” At bat, people would yell ‘hey, Beausoleil is up – everyone move closer,” as well as catcall “hey, batter, batter swing.”
Pre-occupied with worry about these messages and then replaying them over and over in my mind constantly I found myself ‘at bat’ during gym glass one day, with two strikes already against me, in fear and ready to bat a third time. Eyes closed and hands way choked up on the bat, all of the sudden, a fellow student ran up behind me, and ‘pantsed’ (pulled down my gym shorts) me. After a moment of flustering and fumbling, I regained my composure and pulled myself together. Yet, interestingly because of the shock that just occurred, all of those negative messages of how horrible a softball player I was that were in my head were gone, no longer a part of me, and the pitcher pitched, I swung, and praise be, I hit a triple.
God showed me a different way. So, how our life has unfolded and how we can see the golden thread of the consolations of God interwoven in all of the tapestry of our life’s experience. In taking the time to pray our faith story, it can help to notice experiences and people that led me to a deeper sense of faith hope and love. As we go through our days, it can be immensely helpful at the end of each day to notice where we have seen God’s blessings and God’s invitations.
I love to keep a journal because it helps me to remember significant moments in my experience with God. When I am struggling in a time of spiritual desolation I can go back to my journals, re-read them, and be reminded of the ways that God is working in my life. And as we remember and hold onto what is most important, it deepens in us as we share it with others. It is in community, with close friends and family that we can come to know the gifts God has given us even more deeply, and for these things, may we all give thanks.
If we truly let the Lord’s love into our hearts, indeed, we will never hunger for more. The choice then is always for conversion, a turning away from attitudes that promote self-hatred, and turning toward embracing the more exciting possibility of how deeply God truly and divinely loves us. The good news that Jesus shocks us with today, and if you think about it, every day is the reality that we are loved immensely and perfectly with a divine love that is always and forever for us resurrected. Jesus calls to each one of us, as he shares this great good news, and asks each one of us, “Hey, you got it? You got it? Yeah, you got it! GOOD! For, it’s only love after all!
Prayers
My forgiving Lord, I thank You for the unfathomable depths of Your mercy. I thank You for Your willingness to forgive me over and over again. Please give me a heart worthy of that forgiveness by helping me to forgive all people to the same extent that You have forgiven me. I forgive all who have sinned against me, dear Lord. Help me to continue to do so from the depths of my heart. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury let me sow pardon. Where there is doubt let me sow faith. Where there is despair let me give hope. Where there is darkness let me give light. Where there is sadness let me give joy. (Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226)
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 65: Jesus My Master
Are you comfortable calling Jesus your Master? Some may prefer to call Him “friend” or “shepherd.” And these titles are true. But what about Master? Ideally, we will all come to give ourselves to our Lord as the Master of our lives. We must not only become servants, we must become slaves. Slaves of Christ. If that doesn’t sit well then ponder simply what sort of Master our Lord would be. He would be a Master who directs us with perfect commands of love. Since He is a God of perfect love, we should have no fear abandoning ourselves into His hands in this holy and submissive way (See Diary #228).
Reflect, today, upon the joy of being totally given over to Christ and being completely under His direction. Ponder every word you say and every action you do being lived in obedience to His perfect plan. We should not only be completely free from any fear of such a Master, we should run to Him and seek to live in perfect obedience.
Lord, You are the Master of my life. I submit my life to You in a holy slavery of love. In this holy slavery, I thank You for setting me free to live and love as You desire. I thank You for commanding me in accord with Your most perfect Will. Jesus, I trust in You.
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