Reflection written by Sr. Rosemary Finnegan, O.P.
Readings from: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032222.cfm
A few weeks ago, I experienced a 6-year-old boy who definitely had that ‘contrite heart and humble spirit’ that is mentioned in our first reading. He was standing in front of me sobbing his eyes out and trying to catch his breath as he told me how sorry he was for throwing a rock that had sailed over the fence and, to his horror, shattered a window in my car. My heart was melting for him as his parents calmly and seriously explained to him that he had made a wrong choice and now these were the consequences. Needless to say, we parted with a hug, a plan to fix the windows, and an assurance that it would be okay, but it was a hard lesson for him to learn.
I’ve thought about that little boy since and although he was scared silly, he was also truly sorry and wanted forgiveness, unlike the servant in our gospel today. That servant acted like he was sorry and asked forgiveness from the king for the debts he had, but then he turns around and doesn’t forgive one of his underlings who owes him even less than he owed the King. That unforgiving servant was asked to give to another the very thing he had just been granted by the King: mercy. But could he give it? Did he have a contrite heart and humble spirit so that he could dispense mercy to another? We know he didn’t, and we also know the consequences he paid.
Today’s readings are about God’s mercy and forgiveness, and God is expecting us to grant mercy and forgiveness to others, too. And once again, Jesus models that for us. On Calvary, he forgives those who cruelly nailed him to the cross. After the resurrection, he appears to his apostles and offers forgiveness by saying to them: “Peace”. In that moment, he gave all of us the power to forgive.
A wonderful way to think about God’s incredible and generous mercy to us, and the compassion God always initiates, is to make a daily, personal act of contrition. We can say the one we memorized as kids or make one up ourselves. Either way, our sincerity in saying it can help us appreciate God’s forgiveness to us, and help us when we find ourselves needing forgiveness, or when we need to forgive someone in our life. May we leave here today not only with gratitude to God for God’s mercy to us, but with a contrite heart and humble spirit.
