XXIV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Forgiving to be forgiven

Readings: Sir 27:30-28:7; Rom 14:7-9; Mt 18:21-35

God’s infinite mercy reaches everyone, without exception, in absolute gratuitousness. But then why, in the prayer that Jesus taught us, must we say: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Mt 6:12)? Why “as we also have forgiven our debtors”? Why is God’s forgiveness conditional upon our forgiving one another? Often it would seem more honest to pray: “Forgive us our debts much, much more than we forgive our debtors!”…

Matthew’s text says: “as we also (òs kaì emèis) have forgiven (aphékamen toìs ophelétais emòn)” (Mt 6:12). It is a strange formulation: the tense is in the aorist, which indicates a past action, and therefore the sentence should be translated: “as we also have forgiven our debtors”: forgiveness of brothers and sisters must even precede God’s forgiveness. But it is not excluded that it could be a “dramatic aorist”, with present value: “as we are accustomed to forgive our debtors”.

Tradition has always prayed with Matthew’s version. The Church, in the latest CEI translation of the Bible, did not dare to depart from the prayer according to Matthew, which perhaps is also the oldest, but undoubtedly conditioned by the audience of this evangelist, who was writing for the Jews, so bound to the “works” of the Law. Therefore, the official Matthean version remained, with only the specification of “also” (òs kaì), already present in the Greek text, which to some extent attempts to connect our action to the prevenient action of God: God forgives us and “also” we forgive.

In fact, let us never forget that God’s forgiveness always precedes our reconciliation with our neighbor. The “Our Father” in Luke’s Gospel seems to explain this more adequately, praying: “Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also (kaì gàr autoì) forgive (aphìomen) everyone who is indebted to us” (Lk 11:4).

It appears clearer, compared to the Matthean text, that our ability to forgive our brothers and sisters derives (“for we ourselves”) from the fact that God first forgives our sins: therefore the present tense is simply used, “we forgive”, and not the aorist as in Matthew.

The liturgical text prayed in the Mass therefore remains difficult in itself, and once again shows us how we must study all of Scripture with love, understanding here the Semitic literary genre of paradox (so often present in the Bible), and how every verse must be read in the completeness of the sacred text.

In any case, true love for God is always love for our brothers and sisters: “This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 Jn 4:21); “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Mt 5:23-24).

Jesus makes this logic explicit several times: “Forgive, and you will be forgiven…, for with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Lk 6:36-38); “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Mt 6:14-15).

The relationship between being forgiven and forgiving is therefore very close. The lack of reconciliation with others will void God’s mercy. Jesus clearly explains this dynamic in the parable of the unforgiving servant, whose Master forgives an immense debt (ten thousand talents, an exorbitant sum), and who cannot forgive a small debt of another servant (a hundred denarii: in proportion to the first sum, a few pennies) (Mt 18:23-35).

We are faced with a mystery. God’s love precedes us: his love is gratuitous, and reaches us while we are sinners, not forgivers. And if each of us waited to present ourselves to God only when fully reconciled with all our brothers and sisters, we would never enter his presence. And this must be very clear. But God’s immense Love stalls if our heart is not open to our brothers and sisters. A heart closed to one’s neighbor halts God’s omnipotence.

Pope Francis said: “God always forgives, always. But he asks that I forgive. If I do not forgive, in a certain sense I close the door to God’s forgiveness.”