Texts taken from the “On Your Word” Daily Missal September-October 2023

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
4th week of the four-week psalter

FIRST READING

From the Book of Sirach (Sir 27:33 - 28:9 (NV) [Gr. 27:30 - 28:7])
Resentment and anger are terrible things, and the sinner carries them within. Whoever takes revenge will suffer the Lord’s vengeance, who always keeps his sins in mind. Forgive your neighbor’s offense, and then, when you pray, your sins will be forgiven. If a man harbors anger against another man, how can he ask the Lord for healing? He who has no mercy on his fellow man, how can he plead for his own sins? If he, who is only flesh, harbors resentment, how can he obtain God’s forgiveness? Who will atone for his sins? Remember the end and stop hating, remember decay and death, and remain faithful to the commandments. Remember the precepts and do not hate your neighbor; remember the covenant of the Most High and forget the errors of others. - The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the first reading

Anger and revenge, offense and forgiveness are realities deeply intertwined with one another. They are present in every person and guide his or her life, revealing the quality of their relationships with others and with God. The Book of Sirach reminds us that the human heart tends to preserve the bitter memory of an offense and seek revenge for it. Resentment and anger smolder in the human heart and can erupt at any moment with unpredictable consequences, doing nothing but perpetuating the chain of hatred and violence. There is no alternative but forgiveness. And for the wise scribe, author of the Book of Sirach, the one who is called to forgive must never forget a profound reality: that he himself is a sinner and therefore in need of forgiveness. How can we not recall here the prayer of the Our Father? In the words of Jesus, we ask God to forgive us, but God’s remission of our mistakes is closely linked to the forgiveness we are willing to grant for the wrongs of others. God’s forgiveness and mercy thus constitute the true measure for human beings in their relationships with their fellow people.

SECOND READING

From the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Romans (Rom 14:7-9)
Brothers and sisters, none of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. So then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For this is why Christ died and came to life again: that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. - The word of the Lord. 

Commentary on the second reading

Despite the crosses and difficulties over which we often weep and suffer, we like life. Living is certainly the most exhilarating and fulfilling experience we have, and that is a good thing. We must not forget, however, a great truth that the Apostle Paul strongly reminded the Christians of Rome of and reminds us of today: through Baptism, our life has become the full possession of the Lord Jesus, who has become the ultimate reason for our living. This should not frighten us. Living for the Lord does not mean, first and foremost or exclusively, living to serve him; it also means living thanks to him. How wonderful it would be if we were able to remember this at every moment of our lives: I am alive thanks to you, my God! The Lord, then, takes nothing away from us. On the contrary, he enables us to live every moment of our lives even more fully, including those that seem smaller and more ordinary. His presence and blessing always accompany us, making every moment of our lives a pledge of eternity and happiness.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 18:21-35)
At that time, Peter approached Jesus and said to him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered him, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. For this reason, the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a servant was brought before him who owed him ten thousand talents. Since he was unable to repay the debt, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion, the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and began to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole matter. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘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 your brother from your heart.” -
The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

To explain the need to forgive always, Jesus tells the parable of the king who wants to settle accounts with his servants. A man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought before him, an enormous amount for which, according to the law of those times, he would have been forced to sell everything. But the master had compassion and canceled the huge debt. The servant, however, encountered a fellow servant who owed him only a small amount and wanted to send him to prison. That man had not understood what his king had done for him and so he behaved selfishly. At the end of the story, the king recalls the servant whose debt he had canceled and imprisons him because he had not been generous; that is, he had not done for his fellow servant what God had done for him. We have already mentioned this in commenting on the first reading, but it is worth emphasizing again here. In the Our Father, we ask that our debts be forgiven, just as we forgive our brothers and sisters. It is an equation: if you are unable to forgive, how can God forgive you? The Lord wants to forgive you, but he cannot if your heart is closed and mercy cannot enter. Let us forgive, and we will be forgiven!