Gospel of this Mass: Matthew 18:21-35
“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.”
When I was young, I recall the gospel lesson saying rather it was 77 times 7 or 539 times as the number we were to forgive. Or was that my father’s bible translation? I don’t know. Still, it seemed applicable. My brother Kevin and I easily sinned at each other at least 539 times (77 X 7) to other and thus need equal amount of times for forgiveness to happen. Man, for us, 77 times 7 seemed about what maybe Andrew and Simon Peter might have went through! If they were anything like us two Catholic boys, Kevin and John Barry, unable to peaceably share one bedroom and a bunkbed for 14 years. It led to difficulties and differences between us—77 X 7 cases of trouble among the Barry brothers. We’d do or say something wrong to each other, and later have to apologize and make amends. I remember hearing this gospel as a youth, and I felt its application was the (at least) 77 times 7 accounts of Kevin and me making peace again, after some conflict. That total number of 539 times actually sounds low for our record—but at least we got the reconciliation part down. And, hey, unlike Simon Peter and Andrew, at least we did not have to share a boat! The Barry Boys would find forgiveness. 77 times of it or 539 times. I figure now that our conflicts were most of the content of each of our confessions at church, too. We used Confession. We believed in it, too.
A strong lesson that stuck to me the most in my Confirmation year instruction was on forgiveness and reconciliation, and a pamphlet with the numbers 77 X 7 on its front. The teacher, Mr. Marsh, used the pamphlet message to drive home the fact that life now and ahead would be a test of how much we could repent and forgive each others’ faults. It would likely need to be a big open number.
Would we be humble enough to own our lives’ mistakes and damages? Would we be big enough to accept an apology or restitution from any offender? Like in St. Peter’s example. Mr. Marsh pointed out that the Lord’s Prayer also had us daily saying to God to “forgive us our trespasses, O Lord versus you, as we forgive the trespasses made against us.” He said this condition of Catholic life was expected from us, now that we were mature enough to know and do it—in our Confirmation year. A good lesson. I don’t know if it also came in a take-home pamphlet…
There was a song that was sung in church that would strike home the point more. It’s one written by Omer Westendorf, based on a 9th-century Latin hymn Ubi Caritas et Amor.
Where charity and love prevail, there God is ever found; Brought here together by Christ’s love, by love are we thus bound.
With grateful joy and holy fear, His charity we learn; Let us with heart and mind and soul now love him in return. Forgive we now each other’s faults, as we our faults confess; And let us love each other well in Christian holiness. Let strife among us be unknown, let all contention cease; Be His the glory that we seek, be ours His holy peace. Let us recall that in our midst, dwells God’s begotten Son;,As members of His body joined, we are in Him made one.
The song represents a high standard by Our Lord for us.
In Christianity, though, there are many selfish divisions and fractions. It’s a lot of me-centered people calling themselves believers, but who can’t honestly live the truth together with others. It’s been a scandal for way too long. Yet where charity and love prevail, there God is ever found. Not by going off on your own.
In the body of Christ, in the Catholic Church, as I preached on last week, about unity, or the lack thereof that can be, this follows when there are too many proud persons in their own selves. Community or a common unity under the Lordship of Christ is violated by the proud. They go off. It is why the message of repentance and reconciliation is so vital to be heard in homilies and in conversations at a parish. Like I am doing here.
Living in the Truth is a path for unity. Jesus taught us the Way and said “Follow Me.” It means we follow His Voice, and not any other of the world, so fallen as it is. The Church also has teachings of Jesus that we pass on to all generations.
One simple lesson is “repent and believe the Good News.” It’s always a theme to start us off in Lent. Yet in Lent or otherwise, we don’t see big numbers of Catholics going to confession in their parishes, showing some indication of trouble. We do provide three hours every Friday for confessions here, and a monthly time at Riderwood for it. To show it’s important. We priests also have priority to hear confessions when asked for it. A confession was heard right outside a local restaurant, recently. After dessert. After the cannoli!….
I have said that my saddest experiences as a priest are of seeing the proud go and deny their selfishness and go separate themselves in a superior attitude, and go force their side in pushiness. It’s not a good look, and as pastor of such examples of people in parishes, I do feel like I’ve failed you when such cases are happening.
We heard last Saturday from an early section of this Matthew 18 gospel of how it starts with 2 or 3 persons seeking to get the church living in the truth, as to address a straying proud member. Then the matter is raised higher, to show how the sin is hurting others. Then the matter can go to the clergy, who can offer Christ’ Sacrament to get them back fully in the fold. Or offer a remedy home, or else determine that this person is straying from the sheepfold and the Shepherd who is The Way, The Truth and the Life. Then, and only then, do treat them as an outsider, said Jesus, in that Gospel lesson. Matthew 18:17.
I should give a second example of 77 times 7 living, besides that of my brother and I way back when. Just a few years ago, I learned of a fairly mad group of Catholics that wanted their own way so bad, that they started having church by themselves, just around the block from the parish. (It’s a former parish example, not of Resurrection.) They did their own thing, in their own favored way, and away from the clergy, or the Archdiocese—and had “church” the way they liked it. In a residential house nearby in the neighborhood. I don’t’ know if they found rogue priests to pray them Mass, or self-ordained whom they wanted to lead, or if it was a Word service only. Yet it was just so sad. Not a 7 X 77 thing, but a broken folk. It still is going on, I think. There gets to be a coldness, a bitterness, a closed heart or conditioned one against reconciliation, and a haughty attitude there. The problem? Something was not the way they wanted it—they felt hurt by it—so they carried on by themselves inflicting hurt and damage—feeling all justified by it. Such a shame. Yet they are wrong and out of community, except among their limited selves. This new church won’t last into the next generation. This present generation there will notice the errors of their peers. Yet they may fall totally away from Christianity. Sad, sad.
Proverbs 6:16-19 has a few verses from the Old Testament, to show that humankind has had this splitting problem for a long time. I’ll read it out to you. For the Lord has announced in His Word that he detests or hates it. Quote: “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” Some call these the 7 deadly sins. Yet what would The Lord love? Well, what’s the opposite Seven? Kind eyes, a straightforward uniting tongue, actions or attitudes against them who shed innocent blood (hello, pro life movement), a heart that deeply longs for unity, feet that hold on to holy ground, a clear witness of truth seen in His people, and of ones in His people who build bridges, and practices it by a humble, let the 7 times 77 happen in mercy’s good. We’ve got to come together as Jesus’ people.
I need something lighter to get out of this homily. What joke could work? I know. Somebody once asked me what I thought of the 7 Deadly Sins. I answered, “The 7 Deadly Zins. I love it. For a wine under $17, it’s a good Zinfandel. A Lodi California Napa appellation. Michael David winery—good reputation. You could enjoy a glass or two of the 7 Deadly Zins, perhaps paired with pulled pork, pepperoni pizza or just spaghetti and not go wrong.”
This homily goes well with last week’s one, too. Note in Mt. 18 how Jesus is bidding you to this honest and good life of faith. Matthew 18:20 has Him say that “when you agree on earth…as founded in prayer…(and are) seeking together the Father’s will…(and are) gathered together in My Name, 1-2-3, then you are indeed living in one body that is uniting under Me. .This is how St. Matthew saw how the early Church should be operating, and its model continues up to today. God Bless You.