[media presentation below] GospelThink Sunday, September 17, 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time MATTHEW 18:21-35 I tell you once again that you must learn to forgive anyone that harms you. Prayerthoughts a. “Seven” is a perfect number in the Bible, therefore signifying “infinitely many.” Is there anyone that I have not forgiven at the present time?   b. Am I willing to forgive people who “owe” me, as for example money that I have loaned them, etc.? c. We often lack consistency in our criticism. Often we are doing the very things that we accuse others of. What is an example in my life?   d. Do you believe that the king in Jesus’ parable acted the way he should have? Note that this is not the way our God works with us. e. The last verse is a “scare tactic” that Jesus often uses in his sermons. God is always kind and merciful. But the evangelist wants those who read the words of Jesus to know that we deserve the punishment that the king gave if we do not forgive others completely. f. My prayerthoughts…   Today I will determine a person I have not forgiven completely, and make an action of reconciliation (either by prayer or direct words) with that person.    Some Thoughts on the Liturgy FORGIVING OTHERS           This story begins with a cup of sugar. The wife of one of the families, let’s call them the Jones’, had planned to make a pie for her kids later on with the little sugar that she had, but she did not have enough time, and did not do it. The people living to the west about a mile, let’s call them the Smiths, who had just moved in, came over to get to know them, and asked to borrow a cup of sugar. Mrs. Jones had said “no” because of her future plans to make a pie and she did not have enough sugar to lend. Now, the Jones were of Chinese descent.            Later that day the Jones kids had told the Smith kids that their mother did not make a pie. The Smiths concluded that the Jones family simply did not want to give them the sugar, and they held it against them because they thought that there was no reason why they could not have given them the sugar.            From then on, the Smiths told their kids not to associate with the Jones kids, and there was no further association between the families. Eventually, the two families clearly delineated their property, and fences were put up. Remarks like “you can expect that from them;” and “they think they’re better than anyone else;” and “you really can’t trust them,” along with insulting nicknames about heritage were made.            Over the years, both families talked to their friends about the way they were treated and everyone generally agreed that there never could be any reconciliation or forgiveness between the families because of the deep-seated problems between them. The “deep seated” problem was a cup of sugar.            Could that actually happen? It may be too simple to say that most problems between people who do not get along begin that small. But it is true to say that many animosities begin because of what we believe is an insult to ourselves, and often, it is only in our minds.            The liturgy talks of forgiveness today, making it clear that one of the hallmarks of the Christian must be the giving of and asking for forgiveness. We must listen to Jesus’ story in a personal way because every one of us makes personal mistakes in our lives. We step on another’s toes, hurt their feelings, we are insensitive, often being obnoxious in ways that we are not even aware of. Jesus’ story is so true: even though we have done things that demand that we should ask for forgiveness, most of us want others to apologize to us if we feel we have been hurt.            This topic is admittedly not an easy topic since it is so close to home: there may be people in our lives right now that we simply will not forgive. What makes it all the more unnerving is what Jesus says to us today: how often should we forgive?           Seventy-seven times. Sevens are perfect numbers in Scriptural language, which means infinitely many times, that is, all the time. Applied to our situations, it means that we must forgive anyone anytime. That means that we can hold no grudges, forgetting the past as much as possible no matter how much we think we have been offended, forgive them, even though they may not or will not ask for forgiveness.            And one more very unnerving thing is the ending of Jesus’ story:           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 forgive … from your heart. Admittedly, Jesus is using a scare tactic here, but the point is made. Jesus wants us to forgive others—period.            Let us think of that as we close with the prayer of St. Francis. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy. Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love; for it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.  Amen MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “good 4 u” — Olivia Rodrigo SARCASM AND ANGER SOLVE NOTHING The Gospel MATTHEW 5:4,7 Jesus said: “Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

Gospelthink: I want you to be a person who forgives and has mercy on everyone if those who have wronged you. How well do I do that?

“Well, good for you; I guess you moved on really easily. You found a new girl and it only took a couple weeks. Remember when you said that you wanted to give me the world. And good for you, I guess that you’ve been working on yourself. Well good for you. I guess you’re getting everything you want. It’s like we never even happened. What is up with that? Well, the heck with you. You will never have to hurt the way you know that I do. You look happy and healthy. Not me, if you ever cared to ask. Maybe I’m too emotional, but your apathy’s like a wound in salt.”  [Lyrics adjusted]

Good moral behavior must be a guide for a person who wants to live a good life. It is a fact that if the human being is involved in behavior which is wrong or hurtful to others, the person will not enjoy happiness the way he/she wants. Jesus knew that fact as he spoke his Beatitudes at the beginning of his Sermon on the Mount. He knew that if a person could not mourn well or a person who was not merciful toward others would have a difficult time in life. It is a fact that is true not only in living one’s regular life, but especially true when the element of romantic love is added to it. It is a case in point for just about every young human being who is discovering the love of another in a romantic way, that is, when a person begins to date. Most of the songs in whatever genre of music one studies are about romantic love. And of course, many times those different romantic involvements do not work out. And the person will move on to another love situation. In the dating world, such a fact is called a “break-up.” As is often mentioned in these meditations, It is generally known that people will not marry the first person that they love. Granted that there are a few exceptions, but for the most part, the fact means that people will have a “falling out” with people that they once liked, even loved.  Many times such a break-up is hostile and angry, and burdens the person for a long time. Such is the case with Olivia Rodrigo’s song “good 4 u.” The lady in the once-upon-a-time relationship is very angry at the man in that relationship even while she sarcastically says “Good for you.”  The relationship has ended, obviously: they had some problems that they could have talked out, but they ran away from the problems rather than try to solve them. The point must be made that her sarcasm and anger not only did not solve any problem that she and her friend had, but it ruined her life at least for a time. Jesus’s thought about mourning well and showing mercy could very easily help the lady in the relationship to get over the pain a lot quicker than simply remaining angry and sarcastic. It is axiomatic that if we manage to be a little bit better in our relationships with others, we will feel better ourselves.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, we fall in love in our lives here on earth as you designed it to be. Help us recognize that even in very difficult situations, especially in close personal relationships, we should be open to try to reconcile with others rather than try to hurt them. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: In dating, when a person breaks with a  partner, being sarcastic and angry will not help the situation.   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What does the song “good 4 u” teach young people? 2. Read all of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12 and determine the meaning of each one. 3. In general, why are people not happy when they treat others poorly? 4. Does every “break-up” necessarily involve some hurt? Yes or no and why? 5. What causes most break-ups? 6. The meditation mentions that a poor break-up will ruin one’s life for a time. Is this a statement that is always true? Yes or no and why?