Peter was a prominent figure in the community in which Matthew lived. It is only in Matthew’s gospel that Jesus calls Simon Peter the “rock” on which He will build His Church; it is only in Matthew’s gospel that Peter asks, “LORD, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
In their culture, the number seven symbolized fullness and completion. If one were to forgive someone seven times, it would be seen as forgiving someone as much as possible. But Jesus says to Peter and to us, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. What Jesus is telling us is that there should be no limit to our willingness to forgive one another.
Jesus knows that is a part of human nature to put harsh limits on our willingness to forgive, but He wants us to use God’s infinite mercy as an example of how we are to forgive.
In today’s parable, Jesus stresses how forgiving God is. Setting a high standard, He calls on us to emulate the mercy of God in our readiness to forgive those who have wronged us: In other words, as we hear in Chapter 5 of Matthew’s gospel, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”+
Homily for Thursday of the 5th Week of Lent
Homily for Wednesday of the 5th Week of Lent
Homily for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Homily for Monday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time
Homily for the 5th Sunday of Lent
Homily for Saturday of the 4th Week of Lent
Homily for Friday of the 4th Week of Lent
Homily for Thursday of the 5th Week of Lent
Homily for Wednesday of the 4th Week of Lent
Homily for Tuesday of the 4th Week of Lent
Homily for Monday of the 4th Week of Lent
Homily for the 4th Sunday of Lent
Homily for Saturday of the 3rd Week of Lent
Homily for Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent
Homily for Thursday of the 3rd Week of Lent
Homily for Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Lent
Homily for Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Lent
Homily for Monday of the 3rd Week of Lent
3rd Sunday of Lent
Homily for Saturday of the 2nd Week of Lent
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