Today's gospel puts us before what is probably the most demanding expression of love and one of the most essential means of maintaining the unity of the Christian community - the duty of forgiveness.

In fact so important is this aspect of Christian living that Jesus calls those who do not practice it “ wicked servants ”. Peter, the Rock upon which the Church is to be built, asks Jesus “ Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times? ” Jesus' answer is “ seventy times seven” i.e. “always”.

For us, whose attitude is that evil must be punished, this is a hard saying, a saying over which many turn away and refuse to follow. For most of us the benchmark where forgiveness is concerned is “three strikes and you're out.”

The disciples, growing up in a culture in which the spirituality “ an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth ” was common, must have had the same attitude as ourselves and so Jesus uses a parable to teach them what Christian living really means.

There are three main characters in this story, which Jesus begins with the opening words: “ The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to …” In other words, those of us who want to be considered by Jesus as members of his kingdom must do the following. The story continues.

A man who owes a great amount is brought before the king, and since he has no manner of paying his debt is condemned to be sold, he, his wife, children and property to pay the debt. He is to be wiped off the face of the earth.

Nothing is to remain which can remind people of his legacy. Like any normal person facing such a fate, the man pleads for his life, making promises he probably could never fulfill, “ Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full .” Scripture tell us that “ moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan .”

This part of the story reminds me of independent senator, Angela Cropper, who against the prevailing sentiment rejects hanging for those who have been found guilty of killing her husband, mother and sister.

The story continues that the man who was forgiven his debt, refused to forgive a fellow servant who owed him far less than the debt which was forgiven him.

When the king heard of this he commanded that the unforgiving servant be excluded from his kingdom. He was handed over to the torturers until he was able to pay the full amount, something that was impossible for him to fulfill.

Jesus concludes the story by saying, “ So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart .” Jesus is telling us that there is no room in the kingdom of heaven for those who cannot find it in their hearts to forgive, not once nor three times but always.

As always, Jesus calls us to something diametrically opposed to the prevailing wisdom of the world.

The Gospel then questions each one of us. Do we put limits on our forgiveness? Do we forgive relatives and friends, but others we do not, so much so that we want some people removed from the face of the earth? “Hang them high!” we say. Or do we still live with the Old Testament spirituality, which says “ an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth ”?

Today's gospel reminds us that citizens of the kingdom have a different spirituality; it is the spirituality of Jesus who forgives totally and always , no matter how grievous the offence. Where would any of us be if Jesus' philosophy was “three strikes and you're out”?

Prayer

We thank you Lord for this wonderful teaching you give to us today. We thank you for the many people who live this teaching every day of their live - parents with delinquent children, wives and husbands with unfaithful spouses, persons always willing to give someone another chance.

They teach us that it is possible to live the forgiveness, which is an expression of the love of God for his people, the forgiving love of Christ for his Church.

Help us, Lord, to conquer the desire for vengeance in our hearts and help us always to remember how often you forgive us. Never let us tire of forgiveness, understanding that it is through forgiveness that we preserve the unity of our community.

Gospel Meditations for September are by Fr Joseph Harris, a former parish priest and rector of the Regional Seminary, Fr Harris now works on the Archdiocesan Marriage Tribunal.