Gospel
Peter approached Jesus and asked him,“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had him put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”
For Today's Complete Readings go to USCCB
This scripture is about forgiveness, but I can't help but be moved by the practical application of the words. Look at what anxiety material debt caused all of the people in the Gospel. As a country we have been touched by something very similar...
My Friend introduced to me, about nine months ago, to Dave Ramsey. He is a financial coach who teaches biblical financial living...He teaches how to live completely debt free, and how to balance your spending. I recommend him highly. Our culture is not a culture of sacrifice or patience. Our culture teaches us that we can have everything that we want now, and that debt is a tool. The truth is, like the man in the gospel, if we owe debt we have anxiety about giving to others, which is exactly what God wants from us. Our debt ridden lifestyle is preventing us from being true stewards of God's love.
Jesus, help me to live unburdened by debt. Help me to be patient and to have self discipline. Give me the power to pay back anything I owe sooner than it is due, so that I may be free to owe only you. I owe you my life and all of my resources...I love you. Amen
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