Welcome to our Bible Study

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time A

September 11, 2011In preparation for this Sunday’s Liturgy

In aid of focusing our homilies and sharing

Prepared by Fr. Cielo R. Almazan, OFM

1st reading: Sirach 27,30—28,9

30 Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. 1 The vengeful will suffer the LORD'S vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. 2 Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. 3 Should a man nourish anger against his fellows and expect healing from the LORD? 4 Should a man refuse mercy to his fellows, yet seek pardon for his own sins? 5 If he who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins? 6 Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin! 7 Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; of the Most High's covenant, and overlook faults. 8 Avoid strife and your sins will be fewer, for a quarrelsome man kindles disputes, 9 Commits the sin of disrupting friendship and sows discord among those at peace.

The focus is on being forgiving (opposite of being vindictive).

1st reading: Sirach 27,30—28,9 30 Wrath and anger are hateful

things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. 1 The vengeful will suffer the LORD'S vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. 2 Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. 3 Should a man nourish anger against his fellows and expect healing from the LORD? 4 Should a man refuse mercy to his fellows, yet seek pardon for his own sins? 5 If he who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins? 6 Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin!

Commentary The Book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)

belongs to the Wisdom Literature. The reading is full of sayings. 27,30 does not endorse wrath and

anger. But the sinner is so stupid to “enjoy” them.

In v.1, God disapproves vengeance. V.2 approves forgiveness. To forgive

leads to be forgiven, when we ask for forgiveness.

V.3 says “Forget healing (well-being), if you nourish anger (if you have rancor).

V.4 says it is a contradiction to seek forgiveness, while we have no mercy.

The message of v.5 is the same as v.4. V.6 reminds us of our temporariness

(death), to be converted.

1st reading: Sirach 27,30—28,9

7 Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; of the Most High's covenant, and overlook faults. 8 Avoid strife and your sins will be fewer, for a quarrelsome man kindles disputes, 9 Commits the sin of disrupting friendship and sows discord among those at peace.

V.7 is more positive. It talks about the commandments and the covenant and avoidance of hate and faultfinding.

V.8 asks us not to be a troublemaker, or, troublesome, to avoid committing sins (hurting others).

V.9 is a continuation of v.8, saying that the quarrelsome (troublesome) violates friendship, and destroys good relationships by sowing intrigues and malice.

Reflections on the 1st reading

We must learn how to be cool. It is very hard to be cool if we are impatient and a

war freak. It is not acceptable to harbor hatred against another. You cannot pray if you are full of hate. You can obtain mercy only if you love and are

forgiving. Are you full of wrath and hatred? Do you create troubles in your family? You can do something better.

Resp. Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12 R. (8) The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in

compassion.1 Bless the LORD, O my soul;and all my being, bless his holy name.2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,and forget not all his benefits.

3 He pardons all your iniquities,heals all your ills.4 redeems your life from destruction,he crowns you with kindness and compassion.

9 He will not always chide,nor does he keep his wrath forever.10 Not according to our sins does he deal with us,nor does he requite us according to our crimes.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.12 As far as the east is from the west,so far has he put our transgressions from us.

Resp. Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12 R. (8) The Lord is kind and merciful, slow

to anger, and rich in compassion.1 Bless the LORD, O my soul;and all my being, bless his holy name.2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,and forget not all his benefits.

3 He pardons all your iniquities,heals all your ills.4 redeems your life from destruction,he crowns you with kindness and compassion.

9 He will not always chide,nor does he keep his wrath forever.10 Not according to our sins does he deal with us,nor does he requite us according to our crimes.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.12 As far as the east is from the west,so far has he put our transgressions from us.

Commentary The psalm is the prayer

of a prayerful person. He blesses God. He is

thankful to him. He recognizes God as:

Forgiver and healer, v.3 Redeemer or savior and

compassionate, v.4 Cool, not always in the

fighting mode, v.9 Not vengeful, but

considerate, v.10 His kindness is beyond

limits, vv.11-12

Reflections on the Psalm We must have a good perception of God. We must see him as compassionate and

forgiving, not vindictive. When we have a correct perception of who

God is, we will have no fear to approach him for mercy.

Our life becomes a celebration, always blessing God.

Are you blessing God, thanking him always?

2nd reading: Romans 14,7-9

7 None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. 8 For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. 9 For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

The focus is on living and dying for Christ.

2nd reading: Romans 14,7-9

7 None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. 8 For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. 9 For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Commentary V.7 seems to be

philosophical, which means like “nothing exists for itself.”

No man is an island. V.8 specifies that we,

Christians, live and die for Christ.

Reflections on the 2nd reading We, Christians, cannot live in isolation. We are consecrated to Christ. Our life and death, our whole being, is to be

dedicated to Christ (the forgiving Christ). We are not at all wandering on earth without

direction. No act, no thought, no energy we spend uselessly. What do you think of yourself, your activities and

sacrifices? Meaningless? NO. You/They are all for Christ.

Gospel reading: Matthew 18,21-35 21 Then Peter approaching asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against

me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" 22 Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. 23 That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to

settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. 25 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. 26 At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.' 27 Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan.

28 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.' 29 Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' 30 But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. 31 Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair.

32 His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. 33 Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?' 34 Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.

35 So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart."

The focus is on forgiveness.

Gospel reading: Matthew 18,21-35

21 Then Peter approaching asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" 22 Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.

Commentary Vv.21-22 is about

forgiving one’s brother, who hurt us many many times.

For Christ, there is no limit to forgiveness.

Christ teaches us to forgive erring brothers and sisters always.

No conditions whatsoever.

Gospel reading: Matthew 18,21-35

23 That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. 25 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. 26 At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.' 27 Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan.

In vv.13-33, Jesus tells a parable of the kingdom in which forgiveness is a sterling value.

Forgiving is part of living in the kingdom.

V.23 begins with a king settling accounts with his servants.

V.24 presents a debtor of huge amount, which cannot be paid.

In v.25, the master orders the debtor to be sold, also his family and property, to be able to pay the debt.

In v.26, the debtor asks for compassion.

In v.27, the master grants his request. He is freed of the burden of debt.

Gospel reading: Matthew 18,21-35

28 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.' 29 Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' 30 But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt.

31 Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair.

In v.28, the debtor bumps into a fellow servant and requires him to pay the little amount he owes to him.

In v.29, the fellow servant asks for consideration.

In v.30, the debtor refuses (to forgive), puts him to prison, until he pays everything.

V.31 describes the reaction of the other servants, who, in turn, report what happened to the master.

Gospel reading: Matthew 18,21-35 32 His master summoned

him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. 33 Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?' 34 Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.

35 So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart."

In v.32, the master summons the servant (now considered wicked), reiterating his forgiveness.

V.33 implies that the one who obtains forgiveness should forgive others also.

V.34 implies that the one who does not forgive will be punished.

V.35 says that God will forgive us only if we forgive sincerely our brothers and sisters.

Reflections on the gospel

Forgiveness is the name of the game. To live in God’s kingdom is to lead a life of

forgiveness. We forgive because God has forgiven us first. We have no right to withhold forgiveness. Forgiveness is canceling the debts (atraso). Forgiveness is loving the erring brother or

sister, who repeats the same mistake.

Tying the 3 readings and the Psalm

The first reading talks about being cool and forgiving.

The psalm talks about the forgiving God. The second reading talks about centering life on

(the forgiving) Christ. The gospel reading talks about infinitely forgiving

others.

How to develop your homily / sharing

Are you a forgiving person? Do you find it hard to forgive? What’s your problem?

The readings teach us to be forgiving persons.

The gospel reading teaches us to always forgive our brothers and sisters.

There is no limit to forgiveness. We have no right to withhold forgiveness, when

people apologize to us. We forgive because God has first forgiven us. God knows we have greater sins than our erring

brothers and sisters. We have been forgiven more. So, we must forgive others. This is the logic of God. We cannot do otherwise, or else… God will come

and get us.

The first reading teaches us to be cool and relaxed.

If we are hot headed, if we have a lot of hatred in our hearts, it is very hard to forgive.

As humans, we need to forgive, to forego the fault of others and to give them another chance.

Like the gospel, the reading teaches us that to obtain forgiveness, we must forgive others.

The second reading makes us realize that we, Christians, are not living for nothing, but for Christ.

We are not living a life isolated from Christ. We do not waste our life by living without

anyone to love and to forgive. We are important and valuable in God’s eyes. Christ came to live and die for us, to make us

his own.

The psalm presents God as a forgiving God. He forgives all our sins and iniquities. God is not vindictive. He is merciful and kind. If this is our God, then, we have to respond to

him, by being like him.

The world teaches that “vengeance is sweet.” Seemingly, people can only “sit back and

relax” when they are able to retaliate. Retaliation is the name of the game. Psychology says that when you cannot

forgive others, the truth is, first of all, you have not forgiven yourself.

Be kind to yourself and to others.

In our churches, where forgiveness is being preached, each member must experience forgiveness from their pastors and from the lay leaders, all the more.

We cannot build our churches, fraternities and families without forgiveness.

Forgiveness does not mean you approve the wrongdoings.

Forgiveness means “let’s move on.” Let us not be bogged down, or be derailed, by our stupid mistakes.

Forgiveness means “let’s learn from the mistakes” and let’s begin again.

The Catholic Church teaches that we can experience forgiveness from God through the instrumentality of the Church.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession) is still the best way to be liberated from the burden of sin and guilt, and to express our faith in the forgiving God, who uses his ordained priests to absolve us.

In the sacrament, we are guided to our proper conversion.

Our Context of Sin and Grace

Unforgiving Vindictive Vengeful Low tolerance Attitude problem Does not know

him/herself Pride Impatience Woundedness

Forgiving Merciful Understanding Confession Humility Courage Persuasive

Suggested Songs

Pananagutan No Man is an Island