TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)
Sir 27:30-28:7; Ps 103; Rom 14:7-9; Mt 18:21-35
COMMENTARY
Proclaiming the Gospel of Forgiveness / For an Evangelical Witness of Forgiveness
After the instruction on fraternal correction that we heard last Sunday, Matthew’s Gospel continues with Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness, starting with the apostle Peter’s question about “how many times” he should forgive his brother who “sins” against him. Now the theme we reflect on is closely connected with that of a week ago. This is as suggested also by the similarity of Peter’s initial conditional phrase (“if my brother sins against me”), which actually echoes that of Jesus at the beginning of the previous discourse (“If your brother sins against you”). Thus, among Christ’s disciples, fraternal correction goes hand in hand with forgiveness among brothers and sisters, with the emphasis precisely on the latter, as highlighted in Jesus’ teaching today through a statement and a parable. So it will be to duly scrutinize every word of Jesus, to take to heart His message for us, His disciples, in a world increasingly marked by wars, conflicts and hatred.
1. “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” The Evangelical Principle of “Permanent” Forgiveness.
The apostle Peter’s question is provocative in itself: “How often must I forgive? As many as seven times?” It nonetheless gives a glimpse that Peter perceived well the foundation of Jesus’ teaching on fraternal correction, which must always have for its purpose forgiveness and reconciliation among brothers and sisters. On the other hand, this question also expresses the apostle’s perplexity about how to regulate the case of the repetition of faults received. Since we know that in the Judeo-Rabbinic tradition there is a recommendation to forgive brothers and sisters up to three times, we can understand Peter’s “generosity” to increase the “rate” of forgiveness up to seven times. Moreover, it should be remembered that the number seven in the Bible symbolizes completeness and perfection, because it corresponds to the days of God’s creation of everything. In this way, the apostle Peter wanted to ask, with some bewilderment, whether one should really forgive almost all the time.
Jesus’ response plays exactly on the symbolic value of the number seven: “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” That is to say always for ten times of always! It is the constant, permanent, forever brotherly forgiveness that Jesus recommends to His disciples. In other words, every disciple is called to always forgive his brother and sister, and the reason for such “generosity” lies precisely in God’s generous forgiveness of everyone in life, as Jesus wanted to teach immediately afterwards through a parabolic account.
2. A Beautiful Parable, But One Small Detail Needs Explaining
The parable Jesus tells to illustrate the need for forgiveness is commonly called “the parable of the unforgiving servant.” The message of the story emerges clearly from the contrast between the reactions of the master, and later the servant, to the same moving plea from the debtor: “Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.” While the master, “moved with compassion […] of that servant, let him go and forgave him the loan” of ten thousand talents, the servant, for his part, would not forgive his companion the debt of one hundred denarii. The numbers of the characters’ debts seem to have been chosen intentionally to emphasize the difference between the very large sum that the servant owed the master and the much smaller sum that the servant demanded from his companion. Thus, the absurdity of the ruthless and ungrateful servant’s action is even more apparent.
In this regard, if we pay more attention to one detail in the parable, we can grasp a deeper message about the forgiveness requested from us. It is about the sum of one hundred denarii that the servant refused to forgive. Yes, this is a small amount compared to ten thousand talents, but objectively it does not seem so small because it is the equivalent of one hundred days of work (about a third of an annual salary). Significantly, Jesus did not present a smaller figure, such as ten denarii, to further emphasize the contrast. Instead, he stayed with this medium-small amount. This amount could still have been very large for this servant at that time, and therefore not forgivable. Perhaps we can glimpse a subtle lesson from the Lord regarding forgiveness. Sometimes in life we have suffered offenses that seemed very great. In fact, some “debts” owed to us by others are objectively so great that, humanly speaking, we cannot forgive them. The Lord knows this and does not question it. All He asks is that we should remember our much greater debt to our heavenly Father, who has forgiven it for us. This will give us more motivation and strength to forgive our brother generously, just as God has generously forgiven us. In the final analysis, this is the only invocation of the Lord’s Prayer in which our petition to God the Father is linked to our promise and commitment to forgive our debtors, “those who trespass against us.” In this context of the prayer “Our Father”, where we begin by praying for the coming of His Kingdom, our forgiveness will also be a concrete sign of the coming of the Kingdom in our midst. Therefore, this parable of Jesus about the need for forgiveness is also the parable of the Kingdom, as Jesus himself defined it at the very beginning of the account.
3. “This Is How All Will Know That You Are My Disciples, If You Have Love for One Another.” (Jn 13:35). The Principle of Unity in Love among Disciples for the Credibility of Christ’s Mission
At this point, it will be important to take up here the emphases at the end of last Sunday’s meditation.
Indeed, in light of what we have noted, we understand even more the “missionary” significance of every act of correction and fraternal reconciliation, based fundamentally on mutual forgiveness among brothers and sisters. It is about being united in love for the credibility of the same evangelization/reconciliation mission of Christ and of the church-community of His disciples-missionaries. That is why Jesus insisted so much on mutual love among His disciples, defining it as His new commandment and stressing the importance of this as a testimony of belonging to Him before humanity: “This is how all will know that you are my disciples.” He then prayed to the Father for all His disciples, both in the present and in the future, “so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.” (Jn 17:21). May each one of us, his disciples, feel Christ’s heart for unity in love and always have that desire of the Master in mind in every action! This is especially true of our action of forgiving “our brother from our heart,” as our heavenly Father has forgiven us.
We therefore conclude, also today, with St. Paul’s inspired words to the Thessalonian believers. They are also the Lord’s wish for all of us, His disciples-missionaries today, even in the midst of various corrections necessary because of human weaknesses. “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones.” (1Thes 3:12-13).
Useful points to consider:
Pope Leo XIV, Jubilee of Justice, Address, Saint Peter’s Square, Saturday, 20 September 2025
[…] Tradition teaches us that justice is, first and foremost, a virtue, that is, a firm and stable attitude that orders our conduct according to reason and faith (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1804). The virtue of justice, in particular, consists in the “constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor” (ibid., 1807). In this perspective, for the believer, justice calls us “to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good” (ibid.). Its aim is to guarantee an order that protects the weak – those who seek justice because they have been oppressed, excluded or ignored.
There are many examples in the Gospels in which human actions are measured by a justice that can overcome the evil of abuse. For instance, there is the persistence of the widow who urges the judge to recover his sense of justice (cf. Lk 18:1-8). There is also a higher justice that pays the worker of the last hour as much as the one who works all day (cf. Mt 20:1-16); a justice that makes mercy the key to understanding relationships and leads us to forgiveness, welcoming the son who was lost and has been found (cf. Lk 15:11-32); and even more, a justice that calls us to forgive not seven times, but seventy times seven (cf. Mt 18:21-35). It is this power of forgiveness, intrinsic to the commandment of love, that emerges as a constitutive element of a justice capable of combining the supernatural with the human.
Evangelical justice, therefore, does not take away from human justice, but challenges and refines it. It prompts human justice to go ever further, impelling it towards the pursuit of reconciliation. Evil, in fact, must not only be punished but also repaired, and to this end, it is necessary to look deeply at the well-being of individuals and the common good. This task is arduous, but not impossible for those who, aware of performing a service that is more demanding than others, are committed to leading an irreproachable life. […]
Pope Leo XIV, Apostolic Journey to Spain (6-12 June 2026), Meeting with Diocesan Charity and Welfare Organizations, Address,Church of Sant Agustí (Barcelona), Wednesday, 10 June 2026
[…] As for whether we should always forgive, Jesus tells us that we should. One day Peter asked him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus replied, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times” (Mt 18:21–22). And by that Jesus meant: always forgive. Yet we must understand clearly what it means to forgive. Forgiving does not mean saying that what was wrong was right, nor does it mean letting someone continue to do harm. It does not mean forcing ourselves to forget, as if nothing had happened. Forgiving means not letting hatred take hold of our hearts. Jesus asks us to forgive because it is the only way to experience God’s peace and to heal spiritual wounds. When we forgive, we imitate the example of Jesus, who forgave those who crucified him. Our willingness to forgive is a condition for the forgiveness we receive from God. […]
Called to love God and our brothers and sisters out of love for him, we too are sent to go out and meet everyone. The Christian, in addition to being kind and gentle, must be compassionate, love selflessly and seek the good of others, knowing that in every brother and sister who suffers it is the Lord himself who asks and receives, who is welcomed or rejected, loved or despised.
Evangelical charity, rooted in Jesus Christ and nourished by his love, shapes and defines the personal and communal life of every Christian. Hence, every local Church, moved by charity and guided by the Holy Spirit, is called to address — according to its own means and capabilities and with discretion, sensitivity and perseverance — the wounds and needs of the least and most vulnerable, to alleviate their suffering and remedy their poverty. […]
Pope Leo XIV, Apostolic Journey to Spain (6-12 June 2026), Prayer Vigil, “Lluís Companys” Olympic Stadium (Barcelona), Tuesday, 9 June 2026
[…] We must learn to view forgiveness — that powerful remedy for evil that heals our inner wounds — as part of a process and a journey. If we read the Gospel as a book of instructions, commandments and duties, we risk becoming greatly discouraged and frustrated because Jesus invites us to forgive, yet we find ourselves unable to do so. But that is not the case. Above all, we must seek forgiveness from the Lord. We must continually ask the Lord — perhaps for our entire lives — to expand the space of love within us, precisely where we have been wounded, that he can help us reconcile with ourselves and with that part of our past that has been marked by suffering, so that he may slowly transform resentment into mercy and compassion. This is a long journey and a process that requires great patience. It is an effort we must make, both on a personal level and through other means of support, as well as inner reconciliation. We must not lose heart: we move forward in small steps toward forgiveness. […]
Pope Francis, General Audience, St Peter’s Square, Wednesday, 24 April 2019
[…] We have seen that it is actually human to be debtors before God: we have received everything from him, in terms of nature and grace. Our life has not only been wanted, but has been loved by God. […]
The vertical relationship with benevolence on God’s part refracts and is called to translate into a new relationship with our brothers and sisters: a horizontal relationship. […]
Every Christian knows that forgiveness of sins exists for him or her. We all know this: God forgives everything and forgives always. When Jesus describes the face of God to his disciples, he outlines it with expressions of tender mercy. He says that there is more joy in heaven for one sinner who repents than for a multitude of righteous people who need no repentance (cf. Lk 15:7, 10). Nothing in the Gospels lets one suspect that God would not forgive the sins of whoever is ready and asks to be embraced again. […]
Here again, we find the connection between love of God and love of neighbour. Love attracts love; forgiveness attracts forgiveness. Again in Matthew we find a very strong parable dedicated to fraternal forgiveness (cf. 18:21-35). Let us listen to it.
There was a servant who had contracted an enormous debt with his king: 10,000 talents! An impossible amount to repay; I do not know how much that would be today, but hundreds of millions. However, a miracle happened, and that servant received not a deferred payment but full commutation. An un-hoped for grace! But here, immediately thereafter, that servant got angry with a fellow servant who owed him 100 denari — something minor — and, although this is an attainable sum, he would not accept excuses or pleas. Therefore, in the end, the master called for him and had him condemned. Because if you do not strive to forgive, you will not be forgiven; if you do not strive to love, neither will you be loved.
Jesus includes the power of forgiveness in human relationships. In life not everything is resolved with justice. No. Especially where one must put a stop to evil, someone must love beyond what is due, in order to recommence a relationship of grace. […]
God gives every Christian the grace to write a story of good in the life of his or her brothers and sisters, especially of those who have done something regrettable or wrong. With a word, an embrace, a smile, we can pass on to others the most precious thing we have received. What is the most precious thing we have received? Forgiveness, which we too must be able to give to others.
Pope Francis, Angelus, Saint Peter’s Square Sunday, 13 September 2020
[…] The heart of the parable is the indulgence the master shows towards his servant with the bigger debt. The evangelist underlines that, “moved with compassion the master” — we should never forget this word of Jesus: “with compassion”, Jesus always had compassion — “moved with compassion the master let him go and forgave him the loan” (v. 27). An enormous debt, therefore a huge remission! But that servant, immediately afterwards, shows himself to be pitiless towards his companion, who owed him a modest amount. […]
In the parable we find two different attitudes: God’s — represented by the king who forgives a lot, because God always forgives — and that of the man. In the divine attitude justice is pervaded with mercy, whereas the human attitude is limited to justice. Jesus exhorts us to open ourselves with courage to the strength of forgiveness, because in life not everything can be resolved with justice. We know this. There is a need for that merciful love, which is also at the basis of the Lord’s answer to Peter’s question, which precedes the parable. Peter’s question goes like this: “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?” (v. 21). And Jesus replies, “I do not say to you, seven times but seventy times seven” (v. 22). In the symbolic language of the Bible this means that we are called to forgive always. […]
