I always thought I was an expert in forgiveness. I got enough practice forgiving my late father, which was a common topic of my testimonies. I grew up without a father, had to learn to forgive him and ask for his forgiveness, and by God’s grace, repaired our relationship on his deathbed.

I also struggle with anger. I get mad at the littlest things and tend to remember slights and grievances against me and my loved ones. I can forgive, but oh, I will not forget. But in moments and pauses between my bouts of rageful rants, the Spirit comes through, and I get convicted. I am reminded that Jesus has already covered for all of my sins, and my redemption has been bought and paid for with His blood.

In the light of His mercy, how can I not pardon? So yes, I will try. I will forgive and will continue to seek forgiveness, knowing that God has me covered. 

Karren Renz P. Seña (karren.sena@gmail.com)

reflect

Do you also struggle with anger and letting go? Remember the Cross. Jesus died for you to redeem you. Let’s pass this same grace to others.

Jesus, thank You for choosing to die for me. I am not worthy, and I know that I never will be. But in my unworthiness, You still choose to love me. May I always remember this so I can also channel Your grace and mercy to others. Amen.

St. John Ogilvie, pray for us.

Daniel desires to remain faithful to the Lord even if it will cost him his life. He prays for the grace to be committed to God. May Daniel inspire us as he seeks to serve the Lord, and may we deepen our commitment to obey the Lord’s will for us. Let us listen well to God’s call and respond to Him.

²⁵ Azariah stood up in the fire and prayed aloud: ³⁴ “For your name’s sake, O Lord, do not deliver us up forever, or make void your covenant. ³⁵ Do not take away your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham, your beloved, Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one, ³⁶ to whom you promised to multiply their offspring like the stars of heaven, or the sand on the shore of the sea. ³⁷ For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation, brought low everywhere in the world this day because of our sins. ³⁸ We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader, no burnt offerings, sacrifice, oblation, or incense, no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you. ³⁹ But with contrite heart and humble spirit let us be received; ⁴⁰ 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. ⁴¹ And now we follow you with our whole heart, we fear you and we pray to you. ⁴² Do not let us be put to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy. ⁴³ Deliver us by your wonders, and bring glory to your name, O Lord.”  

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 25:4-5, 6, 7, 8, 9

R: Remember your mercies, O Lord.

⁴ Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths, ⁵ guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. (R) ⁶ Remember that your compassion, O Lord, and your kindness are from of old. ⁷ In your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord. (R) ⁸ Good and upright is the Lord; thus he shows sinners the way. 9 He guides the humble to justice, he teaches the humble his way. (R)  

Gospel | Matthew 18:21-35

We cannot expect God to forgive our sins unless we forgive those who sin against us. Apart from the fact that it would be hypocritical, it would also mean that our commitment to loving one another could be watered down to the point of meaninglessness. Forgiveness, in part, gives love its meaning, along with love’s unconditional nature.

Gospel Acclamation

Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart; for I am gracious and merciful.

²¹ Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” ²² Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. ²³ That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. ²⁵ 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. ²⁶ At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ ²⁷ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. ²⁸ 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.’ ²⁹ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ ³⁰ But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. ³¹ Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. ³² His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. ³³ Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ ³⁴ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. ³⁵ So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”

Reflect

Who is one person in your life you find difficult to forgive? Why? 

What can you do to foster forgiveness in your heart for this person?

Read the Bible in one year! Read REVELATION 19 - 22 today

When Peter asks Jesus how many times he must forgive, he likely thinks he is being generous. Seven times? It seems more than fair. But Jesus stretches the horizon of mercy far beyond Peter’s expectations: “Not seven times, but seventyseven times.” Mercy, Jesus teaches, is not about counting. It is about living out of a reality we ourselves depend on every day.

To drive home the point, Jesus tells a parable. A servant is forgiven a massive, unpayable debt by his master. But almost immediately, that same servant refuses to forgive a much smaller debt owed to him by another.

It is easy to hear this parable and focus on the injustice of the unforgiving servant. Yet, if we are honest, it is a mirror held up to our own hearts. We all depend on mercy far more than we realize. Our relationship with God is not built on flawless performance, but on forgiveness freely given again and again.

The First Reading today reminds us of this posture. Azariah, praying from within the fiery furnace, does not appeal to human merit. Instead, he throws himself entirely on the mercy and faithfulness of God.

Psalm 25 echoes the same plea: “Remember Your mercies, O Lord.” At every point, the foundation is clear: we live because God forgives. When we forget that we are debtors first, it becomes much harder to forgive others. But when we remember that we live by undeserved grace, something shifts. Forgiveness becomes a way of extending the same hand that was first extended to us.

Today, Jesus invites us to stop counting offenses and measuring mercy. He calls us back to the foundation of our faith: that every breath we take is a gift of compassion we did not earn.

We are always the debtors first. And because of that, we are also called to be bearers of mercy in a world that still desperately thirsts for it. 

Fr. Albert Garong, SSP

reflection question

Is there someone you are struggling to forgive because you have forgotten how much mercy you yourself have received?

Lord, never let me forget how much I have been forgiven so that I may forgive others with a heart like Yours. Amen.

Today, I pray for: __________________________________