Readings:
Sirach 27:30—28:7
Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
Romans 14:7-9
Matthew 18:21-35
Overcome by a crippling bout of anger over an argument that got violently out of control, Jimmy pushed his spouse down the stairs that resulted in multiple fractures and a long hospital stay. This incident and the resulting scar of a violent altercation have made reconciliation even more impossible. It was an argument over their finances, their spending habits and the need to agree on a manageable budget in order to cut back on expenses. Emotions got out of control, voices could be heard on the street, and a resulting fight eventually led to fractured bones. Irreconcilable differences surfaced, and effort towards reconciliation became farfetched. This is because they both came to the conversation about their financial situations from opposing judgements about each other’s spending habits; and they were unable to meet each other at a point of agreement and understanding.
But in the gospel reading today, the rich man was willing to listen to his servant’s plea for patience, and eventually changed his mind from his initial decision. We learn from the gospel reading that at the beginning of the conversation, the rich man spoke in anger and irritation because his servant was not making any meaningful progress to pay back the debt. The rich man’s anger manifested in the decision to sell the servant’s properties, wife and children in order to offset the debt (v 25). A decision that revealed his strong feeling of displeasure and hostility towards his servant because he did not see him any different from his material indebtedness. So then, his servant’s humanity and that of his family are, in the rich man’s judgment, proportionate to material things. So, the decision to sell off his servant, his family and possessions revealed that the rich man diminished the humanity of his servant and that of his family. In fact, this is an example of the extent the emotion of anger could possibly affect our judgement as we succumb to self-centered decisions and inhumane actions towards others.
But when we actively listen to each other just as the rich man did, we are able to connect with one another in an affectionate manner as we embrace our shared humanity. The rich man listened to the plea for patience from his servant (v 26), and his anger gave way to empathy and compassion (v 27). He instantly connected with the humanity of his indebted servant, and decided to forgive him and cancelled his debt as his emotion of anger and rage gave way to the feeling of compassion and empathy for the financial condition of his servant. The rich man sees the humanity of his servant, and connects with him on the basis of the profundity of their shared transcendental nature far beyond material things. As a consequence, he forgave and released him from his material debt.
The attitude of the rich man towards his servant teaches us that connecting with each other on the level of our common humanity potentially overcomes the damaging effects of the bout of anger or rage in any relationship. We ought to move past bigotry, and disagreement so that we can connect with one another on the basis of our shared humanity. When a relationship is broken, then a true effort towards reconciliation begins from an honest embrace of the humanity of one another as together we both work through the experience of forgiveness and acceptance. In the gospel, the servant of the rich man was restored to the right relationship with his master, but on his part, he was unable to connect with the humanity of his fellow servant because he showed a lack of empathy and patience. Enraged, he choked him and threw him in jail, denying him freedom, a family and social interaction (v 28). He locked him up in isolation (v 30) because he chose not to listen to the plea of his fellow servant for patience (v 29). He received mercy and forgiveness from his master, but he was unable to extend the same to a fellow servant.
On a whole, the readings this Sunday are a reminder of the presence of God among us because God pledges to be present in the relationship where love and charity abide. Notice that both the first and gospel readings echo the commitment we make to forgive one another each time we pray the Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:12-15). Therefore, let us remember that our disposition to forgive one another and to ask for forgiveness draws us closer to the experience of God’s gift of reconciliation.
Ferdinand Okorie, CMF