Forgive Much?

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, September 17th, 2023:
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Sirach
27:30–28:1

Anger and wrath, these are abominations, yet a sinner holds on to them. The vengeful person will face the Lord’s vengeance, for he keeps a strict account of their sins. Forgive your neighbour the wrong that is done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray.

Does anyone harbour anger against another, and expect healing from the Lord? If one has no mercy toward another like oneself, can one then seek pardon for one’s own sins? If one who is but flesh harbours wrath, who will make an atoning sacrifice for that person’s sins?

Remember the end of your life, and set enmity aside; remember corruption and death, and be true to the commandments. Remember the commandments, and do not be angry with your neighbour; remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook faults.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Do I get angry? Well, to be honest, anger used to be a regular part of my personality when I was a teenager and well into my early twenties, but I would say that I do not get angry anymore. Irritation is more like it. When someone or something rubs me the wrong way, of course I experience negative emotions like annoyance. And I really dislike it when someone moves something that I put in a particular place… it makes me really angry. Well, there you go. I do get angry.

Our first reading this week implores us to forgive our neighbour who wrongs us, so we in turn can be forgiven. From a purely human perspective, this necessity to forgive baffles me at times. Over the course of my life I’ve had hurtful encounters where the person who has hurt me has not even realised the pain they caused. They have simply put me and our interaction aside, not even seeking forgiveness. Am I expected to forgive people who have not even asked for it? Well, the answer, hard as it may be to digest, is yes. 

And who better to turn to than the man who forgave those who scourged and tortured him without realising their wrongdoing or asking for forgiveness? Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ does not expect anything of us that He Himself has not done. Forgiveness is definitely one of the marks of a Christian. Our reading clarifies that we cannot “expect healing from the Lord” if we “harbour anger against another.” I don't know about you, but when I see my own anger, I realise I’m in need of constant healing from the Lord. Moving from anger to forgiveness seems to require superhuman strength and courage, so only Jesus can give us that supernatural grace needed to forgive, whether it’s a friend who has hurt us, or a colleague who has said something mean, or a family member who has done something inappropriate. We only need to ask for the grace to forgive. 

In Jesus’ words, “To whom much is given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48). As a Christian, as a follower of Christ, I need to have the courage to emulate my Lord by forgiving much, even if I do not feel like it. Just as loving someone is a choice, forgiving them is a choice as well. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for choosing to reveal Yourself to me. I need Your courage, wisdom, and strength to forgive those who have hurt me. Help me to always look at others with Your vision. Help me see Your Image in them and help me be patient and forgiving in my daily interactions. I ask all of this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.




Rebecca D'mello 

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