SUNDAY’S GOSPEL – September 17, 2017

Matthew 18:21–35

“Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?”

The story continues to sound fantastic, though we’ve heard it many times. A servant is forgiven a sum so astronomical he could never have paid it back. Yet this same servant throws his own debtor in prison for pennies, comparatively. What kind of whacked-out standard was this guy living by? Why wasn’t he consumed by his own good fortune enough to share a little of the joy with a fellow servant?

And then it hits us like a two-by-four. Oh. This isn’t a tale of unbelievable smallness of heart. It’s how you and I behave every day. Jesus goes to the Cross to demonstrate the absolute forgiveness of the entire debt of human history. And we respond by gross irritation at every trifling offense we perceive against us. Someone takes our parking place, gets our order wrong, cuts us off in conversation, and we’re ready to erase them from the Book of Life. If we begin each day reminding ourselves how wealthy in forgiveness we are, we might dole some out by the hour.

In which circumstances do you find yourself routinely prepared to “make someone pay”? What does it take to return you to the spirit of charity?

(Reflection and questions by Alice Camille in Exploring the Sunday Readings)

Since the Sunday Gospel is the heart of the Gospel Weeklies, an important part of preparing to share the Gospel with children is to read and reflect on it in advance of your class session. The Gospel at Home and The Gospel for All Ages (see Gathering Rituals/Questions) are resources on our website that can help you do this. While these resources take a break in the summer months, we draw our weekly reflections from Exploring the Sunday Readings.

Image credit: Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing [CC BY-SA 3.0]