HUMILITY LEADS TO FORGIVENESS - 8/11/22 (Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin)

Matthew 18:32-35

“‘You wicked servant!  I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.  Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’  Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”  

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081122.cfm

Blessed Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin! Sometimes, people think that it's ok to dwell on their hatred and anger towards one another. They may justify this that it's the fault of another and as such, they "deserve" to receive harsh words. However, the gospel reading for today challenges us to change this perspective and mindset. In fact, Jesus uses the term "wicked servant" to show how wrong and evil it is to not show mercy to our neighbors. As followers of Christ, we should persevere to be His faithful servants. At the same time, God is telling us the truth of how wrong it is to dwell on our anger with people for us to be more humble. 

Meanwhile, humility will lead us to forgive our neighbors. Pride is an obstacle which makes it harder for us to imitate the merciful love of Christ. In the parable, the master forgave the servant of his debt because he was moved by his compassion even though the servant was still unable to pay his debt. The passage also shows the unreasonableness of the wicked servant. When his fellow servant had lesser debt to him compared to his own debt to his master, the wicked servant still beat the other person. He forgot that he was also in need of mercy, and because of this, he rejected the mercy he received from his master. As such, it's important for us to know why it's difficult to forgive and how forgiveness from the heart can be done more easily by the grace of God. 

One reason why it's difficult to forgive is because of the pain we experience from other people. We should not neglect the wounds that other people cause to us. But, the pain that we have will be more deepened when we choose not to forgive. The sadness will remain in our hearts, and it's only through forgiveness that our soul can find peace amidst such sufferings. Also, when we do not see our own mistakes and sins, we will be looking at other people with anger instead of having compassion. These are the times when we may think that we are higher or better than some people because of their wrong deeds towards us. But, when we recognize our own sinfulness, we can begin to learn how to love them just as God loves us without being surprised at seeing their weakness. 

When we see the sins of others and start to feel frustrated, God wants us to be humble by remembering the same sins we committed before or our own tendencies to fall to temptations. St. Clare of Assisi lived a radical life of poverty. Even though we may not be materially poor, what's more important is the poverty of spirit, humility. The saint also dedicated her life to prayer, and her devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist was very strong. Our Lord is showing us the importance of prayer and Eucharistic devotion, not just in our spiritual life, but also in the healing of our wounds. May we speak to Christ as we receive Him in the Holy Communion and as we adore Him before the Tabernacle or in the Adoration chapel. There is a link below this reflection that will lead us to online Adoration where we can speak to Him face to face. Let's tell Jesus, who is truly present in the Eucharist, our feelings and thoughts, especially as other people commit sins to us. Through this, let's beg for graces from Him for us to forgive them from the bottom of our hearts. In the Eucharist, we look at Jesus who remains merciful to us and who loves us by forgiving us of our sins as He offers Himself on the cross. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

For more information on the life of St. Clare of Assisi, click here:

https://sanctoral.com/en/saints/saint_clare_of_assisi.html

For Online Adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, click here:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=rz5gektkF0o

For the summary of the teachings of the Catholic Church, click here:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth

For the examination of conscience and guide to confession, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/