Matthew 18:21-22
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.
Kudos to Peter. For him to ask Jesus if he needs to forgive a person seven times - that was pretty revolutionary. Forgiving even once was a far cry from an eye for an eye. Suggesting seven times probably made Peter think he was catching on to this way of life Jesus was showing them.
And then Jesus stretches him even farther. Not just 7. And really, not just 77 or 490 (that's 7 x 70). We have to forgive over and over again. Why? Simply put: It's good for us.
First, every time we say the Lord's Prayer, we ask God to, "Forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Second, when we don't forgive, we are imprisoning ourselves in that offense too. We can't get away if we are holding on to it. It's like a ball and chain that we won't unlock.
Saint John Paul II said, Forgiveness is the opposite of revenge, not of justice. I know it's hard to understand that - we think that if we forgive we are telling the person, what you've done is ok. We think that forgiving means we lose. The opposite is true. Yes, we are stretched, like Peter was,but that ball and chain is unlocked and we are free. Lent is a great time to practice mercy and forgiveness. And the more we practice it, the easier it will get. I'm sure there will be an opportunity to forgive today. Give it a shot.
