Newsletter – 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A.

REFLECTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE – by Lisa-Marie Calderone-Stewart

Jesus is pretty clear about forgiving people. Seventy times seven is a lot of times – four hundred and ninety times, to be exact!

Can you imagine forgiving someone that many times, if they hurt you that many times? Why or why not?

Can you imagine Jesus forgiving someone that many times? Why or why not?

Forgiveness of a crime doesn’t mean that it was okay for that crime to have been committed. It means that the forgiver is no longer going to spend energy on hatred and anger related to the crime and to the person being forgiven. It actually frees up the forgiver as much as it does the forgiven, for anger and hatred are a very heavy burden that drains a person and affects the person’s whole life.

Because you forgive someone, does it necessarily mean that you trust that person again? If you have to forgive someone seven times for a crime, is it healthy or smart to continue to trust that person?

Would Jesus want you to continue a close relationship with that person, or would he just ask you to give up on the anger and hatred and get on with your life?

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