Seventy-Seven Times Forgive

Then Peter approaching 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 his brother from his heart.”

Matthew 18:21-35

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Spiral of Divine Mercy

The kingdom of heaven is a spiral of divine mercy originating at the center of the Uncreated Trinity, from God the Father to his children through Christ his Son. Yet, the debtor, who received mercy directly from his master, failed to pass on that clemency to his neighbor. Instead, he acted against grace by unnaturally veering out of the spiral, taking on the image of a false god of punitive vengeance. No sooner than his gigantic debt had been forgiven—worth his whole family and property—than he forgot the gift and the Giver. Dealing out harsh penalties on his fellows who owed a pittance compared to his own debt, he angered his master who subjected him to remedial restitution—the antidote to mercilessness. Mercy is inescapable; its spiral shapes the universe made in God’s image.  Forgiveness comes from the heart, the core of the human person and dwelling place of God.

“Our Father who art in heaven” is rightly understood to mean that God is in the hearts of the just, as in his holy temple. At the same time, it means that those who pray should desire the one they invoke to dwell in them.

St. Augustine, quoted in Catechism of the Catholic Church 2794

Traditional Chinese Translation

《七十七次的饒恕》
饒恕七十七次
自心底！
讓你的鄰居得以生存。