Matthew 18: 21-19:1
Then Peter came and said to Jesus, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.
“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Pity Me, O God
The wicked servant in today’s Gospel is indeed a pitiful character. After receiving patience and even the full forgiveness of a loan, he goes to treat his fellow servant not with the same compassion, but with cruelty.
We can pity this man because he lives inside all of us. When we are honest with ourselves, we know we are likewise pitiful characters at times.
Pity is a strong word. I learned to pray with this word when I lived in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation where a common refrain in Lakota prayers and prayer songs to the Creator is “Pity me.” I remember a dear elder whom I respected and was a great leader in her community say to me once, “Oh I am just a pitiful human being.”
Perhaps once we have accepted—truly accepted—how pitiful we can be, how weak and prone to judgement and retaliation we are, will we grow. But that acceptance and the growth will all be a gift from the Lord and on his time.
Until then, let us pray for all those who are exploited and treated unjustly or forced to live under threats and intimidation like the fellow servant in this reading.
—Billy Critchley-Menor, SJ, is a Jesuit of the Midwest Province; he writes on Substack at From Every Side and is the author of As It Is: Poems. He currently studies at Boston College.
Prayer
Lord, you look upon us with pity, but always show us your endless love. Grant us your grace to see our true selves so that we may accept your mercy and, in turn, show mercy to others.
—Jesuit Prayer team