Homily on the eleventh Sunday after Pentecost Matthew 13:23-35.
One thing that is certain is that - life can be difficult and that we humans are complicated. It is fair to say that most of the time we aim to do the best, and generally, we will do the best we can by others. However, in all reality, we humans often find it hard to forgive others their wrongs. In today’s Gospel, our Lord and Saviour recounts the parable of the unforgiving servant. This parable should act as a blueprint for us Christians giving us a clear indication of how we should behave towards others when they seek forgiveness. I am by no means saying that forgiving people their wrongs is an easy thing to do - as I am sure we all have people in our lives whom we struggle to forgive – yet our Lord and Saviour commands that we do so! Our faith is built on the loving commands of the All-Holy Trinity – one of which is to forgive those who do us wrong. In fact, one of our greatest Saints, Saint Paul started his journey towards faith by being a murderous wretch who was determined to exterminate Christians! However, Christ called him to become one of the greatest of the Apostles and what did the Christian community of his day do when he repented of what he had done? They forgave him and showed him every Christian affection and love – indeed a lesson we the Body of Christ need to revisit in these days where bitter feuds have broken the bonds of unity between many True Orthodox communions (rendering Christ’s Body broken). Indeed, if we are to succeed in bringing the New Calendar Orthodox back to the true faith, then we need to show them that we are forgiving and can heal our divisions first! There is nothing worse than preaching forgiveness and then when it comes time to forgive our brothers not doing so! Unfortunately, this is the situation we True Orthodox communions find ourselves in today – many True Orthodox Jurisdictions are not prepared to forgive the wrongs caused by selfish infighting. This is merely the worst kind of hypocrisy – an hypocrisy in the same vein as the hypocrisy of the Pharisees in our Lord and Saviours day! This infighting has damaged the unity of Christ's Body by doing the exact opposite of what Christ wills. Did not Christ pray that all may be one (John 17: 20-23)?
I am currently reading a book called ‘I am n: Inspiring stories of Christians Facing Islamic Extremists.’ This is a book that tells the stories of the suffering of many Christians living in Muslim majority countries. Many of the stories told involve death, injury, and unjust persecution - however, what keeps coming through repeatedly in these stories is the willingness of the Christian victims to forgive their persecutors. This is the case despite the horrific ordeals that many of these people have gone through - just because of their faith in Christ the true Lord of all! Furthermore, I have seen many interviews with Coptic Christians in Egypt who have exemplified this same willingness to forgive their persecutors. Again, if one reads the stories of the great Martyrs one common thread is that they all forgave their murderers. How different an attitude this is to the attitude exemplified by those Christians who demand we execute those convicted for committing murder! Indeed, if one follows Christ’s Gospel of truth then it is evident that capital punishment is not mandated by the All-Holy Trinity – rather, forgiveness is! We as Christ’s Body need to learn from the above examples of how to forgive. Also, let us not forget the words of our Lord and Saviour as the soldiers parted his clothes (Luke 23:34):
“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do…”
This then is the perfect example of how we should be towards others when they seek forgiveness from us. As I said before sometimes the act of forgiving can be hard because the wounds caused by others can be so profound and oftentimes in our fragility it may seem impossible to forgive - in such times it is better to try and let the hurt go and trust in the healing power of the All-Holy Spirit. What I mean by this is, that if one finds it hard to forgive someone, one should pray to the All-Holy Trinity and say, ‘Lord help me let this hurt go so that I can truly forgive those who have wronged me.’ Our Lord and Saviour is a loving Saviour who knows our human fragility, and one thing is for sure if one asks for healing then surely this is what will happen. Moreover, let us not forget the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) in which the father forgives the son for squandering the inheritance that he gave to him early. In this parable the father forgets the wrong done to him by his son and lets go of the hurt caused by the actions of his son allowing their familial relationship to be restored – so too it is when the All-Holy Trinity forgives us our sins! Like the All-Holy Trinity let us try and forgive so that relationships can be restored, and lives rebuilt according to the will of the All-Holy Trinity.
Finally, as Christians, it is essential that we forgive our fellow Christians for what good does it do to stand before the altar offering the Holy Mysteries if there is one in the congregation that one has not forgiven? Truly, Christ is adamant that if this is the case, then you must:
“Leave your gift there before the altar and go. First, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift (Matthew 5:24).”
Let us pray this week that the All-Holy Trinity will teach us how to forgive as well as give us the grace to be healed of all wounds that prevent us forgiving others. Also, let us pray for Christians that are undergoing persecution; let us pray that the All-Holy Trinity will bring them closer to Him as well as bringing them to safety where they can freely practice their faith.
Commentaires