Morning Devotion for the Season after Pentecost
June 17, 2022
The Invitatory
Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
The earth is the Lord’s for he made it: Come let us adore him.
Reading: Matthew 18:21-35
Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.
‘For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow-slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, “Pay what you owe.” Then his fellow-slave fell down and pleaded with him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow-slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?” And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’
Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
like the wideness of the sea;
there’s a kindness in God’s justice,
which is more than liberty.
This hymn was composed by Frederick Faber, who was one of a number of English clergy who converted from the Anglican Church to Roman Catholicism. Admittedly, the passage from Matthew speaks of forgiveness, but it has always seemed to me that mercy, that particular compassionate or kindly forbearance and compassion shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power is the initial response. It seems to stand between condemnation and forgiveness.
In the midst of the Ukrainian war, the spate of episodes of gun violence and the hearings on the January 6 attack on the capital together with the deep divisions in this country, what might the practice of limitless forgiveness look like in a modern capitalist economy? Is it even possible?
The economy of forgiveness Jesus announces is congruent neither with the values and assumptions that govern human economies nor the relentless pursuit of power and privilege that drives our daily social relationships. The pursuit of unlimited forgiveness requires a definitive break from the tacit arrangements that govern everyday life, whether ancient or modern.
The parable of the unforgiving servant serves as a sobering comeuppance, and a sharp warning to those who might think forgiveness is possible on limited terms. The parable illustrates with painful clarity the difficulty of practicing forgiveness in a social system built for different purposes. Too many exceptions will ultimately negate forgiveness.
It is best to read this parable as any piece of literature. Here is a simple, integral story, which does not convey a simple moral point. It is meant to lead to critical reflection and to dispel our assumptions. First,it is important to appreciate the Mediterranean economy. The goal was to pass a steady, acceptable flow of wealth further up the pyramid, while retaining as much as one could for oneself, to assure one’s own way further up the pyramid. The king’s act of mercy is, however, neither a private matter nor an act with consequences for this slave alone. Forgiving this has implications for everyone down the pyramid. The king effectively inaugurates a regime of financial amnesty, a jubilee, not only for one slave, but for everyone in his debt. Unfortunately, this outcome does not obtain. . The slave’s immediate encounter with his debtor, demonstrates that the forgiven slave intends to revert to business as usual. He gives no heed to the second slave’s identical appeal. His failure to carry on the forgiveness the king granted him not only halts the spread of financial amnesty in its tracks, it also mocks and dishonors the king himself. The “wideness of God’s mercy” is constrained by the slave’s insistence of the world the slaves constructs for himself, under which terms his fate is now set. With whom, and to what systems, do we bind ourselves each day?
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen
