12/09/2026
Thanks to Deacon Vincent for his Reflections for Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
This fascinating book is a late addition to the Jewish canon of Wisdom Literature. It is sometimes referred to as Ecclesiasticus (church book). Little is known about the author, except the odd excerpts revealed in the book itself. This selection for us today can be seen as a reflection in Leviticus 19:18, and St. Paul’s writings in Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10: 30. We also get a part of it in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Matthew in Chapter 5 and Mark in Chapter11. Then, of course, Jesus’ composition of the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6: 9-13, and Luke 11: 2-4. We see that our forgiveness is determined by our ability to forgive those who trespass against us. The Old Testament is constantly reflected in the New Testament.
Psalm 103(102): 1-4, 9-12.
A wonderful song of God’s goodness. It continues our theme of forgiveness. There is that lovely phrase, “As far as the East is from the West, so he has removed our iniquities far from us.” This should be a great source of hope for all of us.
2nd Reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans 14: 7-9.
As always with Paul, his discourses return us to the Lord. Everything is related to our relationship with the Lord. It doesn’t matter whether we are alive or dead, because we live or die for the Lord. We see from Paul’s argument that the Resurrection makes Jesus Lord of the dead and the living. This is a great consolation for all of us to ponder and dwell upon.
The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 18: 21-35.
Peter asks the question about the number of times we are required to forgive our neighbour. Jesus instructs us that it is open ended. There must be no limit on our ability to forgive, and in that way we also will be forgiven. The measure we use is the measure we receive. Then Jesus tells us this rather amusing story of the servant who owed his master a vast sum of money with no hope of repaying. The master is going to put the servant in prison and sell up his family and his possessions till the debt is paid. The servant collapses at the master’s feet and pleads forgiveness, and the master is so moved he grants forgiveness and cancels the debt. This servant then goes outside and accosts a fellow servant who owes him a pittance and will not listen to any excuses and puts that servant in jail till he has paid the debt. The other servants were appalled at this treatment and told the master, who then summons the original debtor and puts him in jail and sells all his possessions till the debt be paid. It all means that the measure we give is the measure God will apply to us, Our future relationship with God relies upon the way we treat our neighbours. It is a sobering but also a golden opportunity for us all to be able to put things right between ourselves and God, by being loving and considerate to our neighbours. Jesus is saying that our forgiveness lies in our own hands; together with the Divine Mercy of God.
May God forgive us, as we forgive our debtors.
Deacon Vincent
