Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The speaker begins by discussing the significance of practicing Lectio Divina, a method of reading and meditating on scripture. They emphasize the importance of listening to God's word in every aspect of life. They then read a passage from Matthew's Gospel about forgiveness, highlighting the parable of a servant who was forgiven a debt but refused to forgive another. The speaker encourages listeners to reflect on the impact of this story and to meditate on its meaning. They invite listeners to engage with Jesus and ask for healing and transformation in their own hearts. Greetings, friends. What a joy to share the Gospel. In Rick Rubin's wonderful book, The Creative Act, he shares something that possesses great significance, I think, for our daily practice of Lectio Divina. He says, quote, The purpose of such exercises is not necessarily in the doing, just as the goal of meditation isn't in the meditating. The purpose is to evolve the way we see the world when we're not engaged in these acts. Close quote. This is so true. Lectio teaches us, in every place and at every moment, to ask, what is God speaking to me in this event, this encounter? Not simply in his word, but by listening to his word, we learn to listen for God always and everywhere. Let's begin, then, with our own practice of Lectio by taking a moment to quiet our inner selves. If you will, take a deep breath, slowly in and slowly out. Come, Lord Jesus, allow your Holy Spirit to bring your word to life in me. May I hear your voice, Good Shepherd. The first step of the ancient method of Lectio Divina is reading. We read to practice our listening to the word and to the world to begin to experience the movement and the presence of God in the passage. On this twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we read from Matthew's Gospel, chapter 18, verses 21 through 35. Peter approached Jesus and asked him, Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times? Jesus answered, I say to you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full. Moved with compassion, the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, Pay back what you owe. Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, Be patient with me, and I will pay you back. But he refused. Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, You wicked servant, I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Could you not have had pity on your fellow servant as I had pity on you? Then in anger, his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will your heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart. Once again we come face to face through the gospel with the challenge of forgiveness. This poignant parable, which we recently encountered in the daily lectionary, never fails, at least in my experience, to startle, to carry a forceful impact. Permit me to call to mind once again the nature of the parable. A parable is a story, remember, and as such directed at our imaginations. What impact does Jesus' story have on you as you listen to it? What feelings arise in you as you hear it? What does it say about God, about human beings, about our human relationships and our relationship with God? What does this parable say about me? As we read the passage for a second time, allow it to breathe. Let it come to you and draw a scene for you. Notice what stirs in your heart, your mind, your imagination. Once again we open ourselves to the word as we read Matthew chapter 18 verses 21 through 35. Peter approached Jesus and asked him, Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times? Jesus answered, I say to you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full. Moved with compassion, the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, Pay back what you owe. Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, Be patient with me, and I will pay you back. But he refused. Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, You wicked servant, I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant as I had pity on you? Then in anger, his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will your heavenly father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart? Now to the second step of Lectio Divina, meditation. Here we intentionally incline our minds and hearts toward the words of Christ in the Gospel and the impact of those words within us. We pause to ponder and reflect on the word. I'm really surprised by what strikes me today. After the servant is let off the hook, really given his life back, saved by the bell you might say, saved really from destruction, Jesus tells us in his story that he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. Gosh, I wonder, did he go directly out to find this guy? How is it possible that just after such an encounter with mercy, with forgiveness, he could go out directly in search of someone to demand repayment of a debt? And you know what? I'm convicted. So painfully made aware at this moment of all the times, right in the middle of my prayer, my mind has turned to some offense done against me, some hurt I have endured, and then resentment and anger stirred powerfully within me. I even begin to imagine ways I might get even. What is the matter with me? Dear Lord Jesus, heal me. This time at last, may your mercy and love melt away in me my anger and resentment, my greed and need for justice. Free me from my narrowness for forgiveness and generous love. Friends, let me also invite you to really sit with this remarkable story of Jesus. What about it strikes you most? Talk to Jesus about what his story is doing in you now. Ask him to bring this parable to life for you throughout this day. And friends, it is a joy to share the gospel with you.