DGeMs- Daily Gospel eMessage
Dear Friend in the Lord,
“Mercy – Forgiveness” – Faith: In today’s Gospel, Jesus said to Peter, “We are to forgive seventy-seven times. He then explained further how “mercy” is essential to “forgiveness”. Ponder on, “When we have genuine mercy, we will forgive willingly. However, without mercy, we will be heartless and ungrateful to God’s Mercy to us.”
Fr Philip Heng, S.J.
Matthew 18:21-25a, 27-28a, 29-30, 32-33
Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.
‘And so the kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; he had no means of paying. And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt.
‘Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow-servant who owed him one hundred denarii. His fellow-servant fell at his feet and appealed to him, saying, “Be patient with me and I will pay you.” But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt.
‘Then the master sent for the man and said to him, “You wicked servant, I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow-servant just as I had pity on you?” ’