"The Unforgiving Servant"
Gospel, Matthew 18:21--19:121
Then Peter went up to him and said, 'Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?'
22 Jesus answered, 'Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.
23 'And so the kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants.
24 When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents;
25 he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt.
26 At this, the servant threw himself down at his master's feet, with the words, "Be patient with me and Iwill pay the whole sum."
27 And the servant's master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt.
28 Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow-servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him, saying, "Pay what you owe me."
29 His fellow-servant fell at his feet and appealed to him, saying, "Be patient with me and I will pay you."
30 But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt.
31 His fellow-servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him.
32 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.
33 Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow-servant just as I had pity on you?"
34 And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt.
35 And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.'
1 Jesus had now finished what he wanted to say, and he left Galilee and came into the territory of Judaea on the far side of the Jordan.
Reflection:
" Pagpapatawad", this is what Christ is teaching us through the parable of the unforgiving servant. Matthew beautifully puts into writing the message on "forgiveness" when Jesus speaks about forgiving "seventy times seven times". (This was also mentioned in Luke 17:4)
Ang Ebanghelyo natin sa araw na ito ay tunay na titimo sa kaibuturan ng ating puso. Isa na yata ako sa maraming tinatamaan sa mensaheng hatid ni Kristo tungkol sa pagpapatawad. Ipinapakita sa atin ng Panginoon ang kahalagaan ng pagpapatawad at ang maidudulot nito sa ating pagkatao.
Walang hanggang pagpapatawad ang ibig sabihin ni Kristo nang wikain niyang, "Hindi ko sinasabing makapito, kundi pitumpung ulit pa nito." Ito na yata ang isa sa pinakamahirap isabuhay bilang Kristiano. Kadalasan nagdarasal tayo ng walang puknat upang humingi ng tawad sa Diyos para sa ating mga pagkakasala ngunit tayo mismo ay hindi marunong magpatawad. Ito ay nakalulungkot na realidad sa karamihan ng mga Kristiano.
Kahapon lamang ay may nabasa ako sa internet na tungkol sa isang babaing mahigit na 50 taong mabilanggo sa Amerika sa salang pagpapatay sa batang inaalagaan nito. Matapos ang mahabang panahon nang pagkakakulong ay binigyan siya ng "parol". Sabi ng matanda ay nagsimulang magbago ang kanyang buhay nang makatanggap siya ng liham mula sa ina ng batang napaslang. Sa sulat na ito ay inilahad ng ina ng bata ang kanyang naramdaman matapos ang mahigit 19 na taon buhat ng mamatay ang kanyang anak. Sa dulo ng sulat ay nakasaad na pinatatawad na ng inang si Erma si Bitty. Ayon kay Bitty, ito ang nakapagpabago nang kanyang buhay. Dahil sa pagpapatawad ng ina sa kanya ay nakawala siya sa kinasasadlakang kawalan sa buhay.
Tunay na may kapangyarihan ang pagpapatawad. Dahil rito ay isinugo ng Ama ang kanyang Anak upang tayo ay maligtas sa kasalanan. Tulad ng pagpapatawad ng ina ng batang napaslang kay Bitty, ang pagpapatawad ng Ama ay nakapagpabago ng ating buhay.
Mga kapatid, hindi man madali ang magpatawad ay walang pagod nating subukang maibahagi ito sa mga nagkasala sa atin katulad ng pagpapatawad na tinatanggap natin mula sa Diyos sa tuwing dudulog o lalapit tayo sa Sakramento ng Pakikipagkasundo. Alalahanin nating nararapat na tayo ay magpatawad sapagkat tayo ay pinatawad at patuloy na pinatatawad kung tayo lamang ay hihingi ng kapatawaran mula sa Panginoon.
Fray Aimark P. Asor, OSA, Peccator est. Orate pro eo.
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