I’M SORRY—FORGIVE!
Introduction
Titus was made the “overseer” of the Church of Crete. Like the other “pastoral letters” to Timothy, this letter contains Paul’s instructions to organize and govern the local community, particularly with the help of “presbyters” or elders. The “episcopos” of which Paul speaks is not yet the monarchic bishop of several decades later.
It is hard to place the sayings of our Gospel today (Lk 17:1-6) in a coherent context. They rather look like disparate statements about key concerns and messages of Luke: concern for the lowly, the need of forgiving one another, and faith. When Luke speaks about scandal, he is not thinking of giving any bad example, but of obstacles that make people stumble, like Jesus sitting at table with sinners, something totally unacceptable to many Jews. We take the message of forgiveness.
Opening Prayer
God of mercy and compassion,
your Son Jesus Christ, has brought us together
as a community of sinners
that knows that you have pardoned us.
When our weaknesses threaten our unity,
remind us of our responsibility for one another.
Let your unifying Spirit give us the strength
to care for one another
and to do all we can to remain
a living, forgiving and welcoming community.
May we meet in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!
1 Reading – TITUS 1:1-9
Paul, a slave of God and Apostle of Jesus Christ for the sake of the faith of God’s chosen ones and the recognition of religious truth, in the hope of eternal life that God, who does not lie, promised before time began, who indeed at the proper time revealed his word in the proclamation with which I was entrusted by the command of God our savior, to Titus, my true child in our common faith: grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior. For this reason I left you in Crete so that you might set right what remains to be done and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed you, on condition that a man be blameless, married only once, with believing children who are not accused of licentiousness or rebellious. For a bishop as God’s steward must be blameless, not arrogant, not irritable, not a drunkard, not aggressive, not greedy for sordid gain, but hospitable, a lover of goodness, temperate, just, holy, and self-controlled, holding fast to the true message as taught so that he will be able both to exhort with sound doctrine and to refute opponents.
Responsorial Psalm 24:1B-2, 3-4AB, 5-6
R. (cf. 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers. R.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain. R.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob. R.
Alleluia – PHILIPPIANS 2:15D, 16A
Alleluia, alleluia.
Shine like lights in the world,
as you hold on to the word of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel – LUKE 17:1-6
Jesus said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.” And the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
Commentary
Fraternal Correction
There are words that don’t come easily, sang Tracy Chapman in 1988. “Like sorry … Forgive me.”
So, “To name and shame” is one of the preferred methods in currency. We love to publicly announce the mistakes of others for the purpose of bringing them to shame. However, is this a redemptive act? Or is it one meant to make us feel good and satisfy our bloodlust? Jesus wouldn’t approve. For, he is pretty direct and clear in his statement as to how to deal with an erring brother or sister: If they offend you, tell them directly and privately about it – which means, do not indulge in public shaming. When they repent, forgive them, even up to seven times a day! This does not mean that we do not hold them accountable for the harm they have done or do not want them to do reparations for the same. It only means that we do not deprive them of their right to basic human dignity, but act with compassion, even as we hold them accountable.
Intentions
– That in all honesty, we may acknowledge our sins to the Lord, who knows what is in our hearts, and also to the persons we have hurt, we pray:
– That we may have enough faith to forgive totally and without reservations those who have offended us, we pray:
– That pastors in charge of communities may practice what they teach and inspire their people, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
you bring together at the table of your Son
the weak with the strong, the sick with the healthy.
Let your Son fill us here
with the fullness of his presence,
that we may accept one another
to live with one another in peace and friendship.
We offer you our good will
to welcome one another
in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
your Son Jesus, has been in our midst
and he has strengthened us with his body and blood.
He made our wounds of sin
his wounds and he healed them.
Let the wounds of our brothers and sisters
become ours, their joys our happiness.
Let your Son teach us the art
of bringing those who err back to you
and into our communities,
without embittering or humiliating them,
without any feeling of superiority,
but simply because they are our brothers and sisters
in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!
Blessing
Let us keep in mind the exhortation Jesus gives us in Luke, to be people of deep faith who can forgive one another and care for the poor and the humble, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!