![]() Jesus’ message is clear: God forgives incalculably, exceeding all measure. This too is a substantial sum, equivalent to about three months’ wages - as if to say that forgiving each other costs money! - but not at all comparable to the previous figure that the master had forgiven. ![]() Then, however, this servant, whose debt has been forgiven, shows no mercy towards a fellow servant who owes him 100 denarii. Let us not forget how God is: he is close, compassionate and tender this is God’s way of being. This is God’s heart: he always forgives, because God is compassionate. It was an impossible debt to settle, even by working a lifetime: yet this master, who recalls our Father, forgives it out of sheer “pity” (v. A king, after being implored, forgives a servant the debt of 10,000 talents: it is an excessive, immense value, ranging from 200 to 500 tons of silver: excessive. Jesus then illustrates this reality through a parable, which again has to do with numbers. I say this a lot to priests, to confessors: always forgive, as God forgives. He tells him, that is, that when one forgives, one does not calculate that it is good to forgive everything, and always! Just as God does with us, and as those who administer God’s justice are required to do: forgive always. ![]() ![]() But Jesus goes further, and answers him: “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven” (v. Seven, in the Bible, is a number that indicates completeness, and so Peter is very generous in the assumptions of his question. Peter asks Jesus: “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” (v. Today, the Gospel talks to us about forgiveness (cf. Enjoy your lunch, and arrivederci!Įxcerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above I wish you all a good Sunday, and please, do not forget to pray for me. And I continue to pray for the tormented Ukrainian people, and for peace in every land bloodstained by war. As of now I greet all the inhabitants, looking forward to meet so many dear brothers and sisters.Īnd I greet you all, Romans and pilgrims from Italy and various countries, especially the representatives of some parishes in Miami, the Banda de Gaitas del Batallón de San Patricio, the faithful of Pieve del Cairo and Castelnuovo Scrivia, and the Missionary Sisters of the Most Holy Redeemer of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. While I ask you to accompany this journey with prayer, I would like to thank the civil and religious authorities, and those who are working to prepare for the meeting in Marseille, a city rich in peoples, called to be a port of hope. It represents a challenge that is not easy, as we also see from the news in recent days, but which must be faced together, since it is essential for the future of all, which will be prosperous only if it is built on fraternity, putting human dignity and real people, especially those most in need, in first place. On Friday I will go to Marseille to participate in the conclusion of the Recontres Méditerranéennes, a fine initiative that is taking place in important Mediterranean cities, bringing together ecclesial and civil leaders to promote paths of peace, collaboration and integration around the mare nostrum, with special attention to the phenomenon of migration.
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