SUNDAY’S GOSPEL—September 17, 2023 – 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Matthew 18:21–35

‘Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ –Matthew 18:33

For Children
     Gospel Reflection and Saint of the Week with Miss Heidi
     Bible Bag: Kid-Sized Lessons on the Sunday Gospel with Mrs. Cole

For Adults
The story continues to sound fantastic, though we’ve heard it many times. A servant is forgiven a sum so astronomical he could never have paid it back. Yet this same servant throws his own debtor in prison for pennies, comparatively. What kind of whacked-out standard was this guy living by? Why wasn’t he consumed by his own good fortune enough to share a little of the joy with a fellow servant?

And then it hits us like a two-by-four. Oh. This isn’t a tale of unbelievable smallness of heart. It’s how you and I behave every day. Jesus goes to the Cross to demonstrate the absolute forgiveness of the entire debt of human history. And we respond by gross irritation at every trifling offense we perceive against us. Someone takes our parking place, gets our order wrong, cuts us off in conversation, and we’re ready to erase them from the book of life. If we begin each day reminding ourselves how wealthy in forgiveness we are, we might dole some out by the hour.

In which circumstances do you find yourself routinely prepared to “make someone pay”?
What does it take to return you to the spirit of charity?

LET US PRAY… Lord of our journeys, you walk with us in seasons of darkness and light, even through the valley of the shadow of death. Send your Spirit to guide us so that we can be closer companions to your will, always attentive to the sound of your voice in our days. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

While The Gospel at Home takes a break in the summer months, we’ll be drawing our weekly reflections from Exploring the Sunday Readings.

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